Nanospace Engineering of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Heterogeneous Catalysis

The structural advantages of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can facilitate wide applications in the field of catalysis, including oxidation, hydrogenation, acetalization, transesterification, catalytic cracking, and so on. The efficiency of catalysis is closely related to the synergy between active center, auxiliary center, and microenvironment. Researchers can customize MOFs according to the needs of catalytic reactions, and many strategies were established for boosting catalytic performance. In this review, we aim to summarize and illustrate recent progress in the nanospace engineering of MOFs. Generally, MOFs were engineered mainly from the following aspects: 1) Regulation of pore size, including micropores, mesopores, and macropores. 2) Engineering of encapsulated active species, such as metal nanoparticles, quantum dots, polyoxometalates, enzymes, etc. 3) Engineering of MOFs morphology from zero dimension to three-dimension. 4) Controllable integration of MOFs with multi-strategies. 5) Construction of multivariate MOFs via introducing multiple or mixed organic functional groups into the existing framework. Besides, for further low cost and practical applications, challenges for MOFs as green and sustainable catalysts are also discussed.

Automated summary

MOFs have wide applications in catalysis due to their structural advantages, and researchers can customize them and improve catalytic performance through various strategies. Engineering methods include regulating pore size, encapsulating active species, adjusting morphology, and introducing multiple organic functional groups. Challenges for MOFs as green and sustainable catalysts are also discussed for further low-cost and practical applications.