Metal-Organic Frameworks for Photocatalytic Water Splitting and CO2 Reduction

Photocatalytic water splitting and carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction provide promising solutions to global energy and environmental issues. In recent years, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a class of crystalline porous solids featuring well-defined and tailorable structures as well as high surface areas, have captured great interest toward photocatalytic water splitting and CO2 reduction. In this review, the semiconductor-like behavior of MOFs is first discussed. We then summarize the recent advances in photocatalytic water splitting and CO2 reduction over MOF-based materials and focus on the unique advantage of MOFs for clarifying the structure-property relationship in photocatalysis. In addition, some representative characterization techniques have been presented to unveil the photocatalytic kinetics and reaction intermediates in MOF-based systems. Finally, the challenges, and perspectives for future directions are proposed.

Automated summary

Photocatalytic water splitting and CO2 reduction using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have great potential for addressing energy and environmental issues. This review discusses the semiconductor-like behavior of MOFs and summarizes recent advances in photocatalytic water splitting and CO2 reduction using MOF-based materials. The unique advantage of MOFs in elucidating the structure-property relationship in photocatalysis is highlighted, along with representative characterization techniques for studying the kinetics and reaction intermediates. The challenges and future directions are also proposed.