Porous metal-organic framework (MOF)-based and MOF-derived electrocatalytic materials for energy conversion

Porous MOF-based and MOF-derived materials are ecofriendly and safe electrocatalysts with fast-growing research hotspots to solve the associated challenges in energy conversion technologies. This is due to their exceptional compositions, diverse structures, tunability, larger surface areas, higher porosities, homometallic/heterometallic cluster as a secondary building unit, numerous empty space regions for adsorbing guest molecules and, at the same time, chemically transform. In this review, we discuss various electrocatalytic performances of porous MOF-based and MOF-derived electrocatalysts for carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and overall water splitting. The study firstly discusses the evolution of porous MOF-based and MOF-derived materials and the four generations of MOFs. We thereby discuss the synthetic methods of various porous MOFs and MOF-derived electrocatalysts. The study further highlights comprehensive advancements in the fast-growing literature in the field and the corresponding correlation between porous MOFs and MOF-derived structural parameters and electrocatalytic performance for each energy conversion device. Conclusively, this study highlighted some associated challenges, various strategies, and prospects to foster advancement in the field.