Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2023, Vol. 55: 1-19.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(23)64556-5

• Reviews •     Next Articles

Strategies to engineer metal-organic frameworks for efficient photocatalysis

Cheng Liua, Hurunqing Liua, Jimmy C. Yua,b, Ling Wua,*(), Zhaohui Lia,*()   

  1. aResearch Institute of Photocatalysis, State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, Fujian, China
    bDepartment of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China
  • Received:2023-09-12 Accepted:2023-10-31 Online:2023-12-18 Published:2023-12-07
  • Contact: *E-mail: zhaohuili@fzu.edu.cn (Z. Li), wuling@fzu.edu.cn (L. Wu).
  • About author:Ling Wu (State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, Fuzhou University) received his Ph.D degree in 2004 from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research interests currently focus on photocatalysis and new materials based on MOFs and ultrathin inorganic metal oxide nanosheets, especially revealing the relationship of the surface structure and performances at molecular level. He has coauthored more than 260 peer-reviewed papers.
    Zhaohui Li (State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, Fuzhou University) received her Bachelor degree from Fudan University in 1990, Master degree from Fujian Institute of Research on Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Science in 1996, and PhD degree from National University of Singapore in 2000. She carried out postdoctoral research at University of Notre Dame (USA) from 2000 to 2002. She joined the faculty of Fuzhou University in 2003 and is currently a full professor of State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, Fuzhou University. Her current research interest centers on the development of porous/nanostructured materials, in particular the MOFs materials, for photocatalytic applications, especially in photocatalytic organics transformations.
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(22372038);National Natural Science Foundation of China(22272026);111 Project(D16008)

Abstract:

Photocatalysis, a promising technology to convert solar energy to chemical energy, is expected to relieve the global energy shortage and environmental pollution and therefore has attracted widespread recent research attention. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a class of micro-mesoporous hybrid material constructed from metal or metal nodes interconnected with multi-dentated organic linkers, have recently been demonstrated to be promising photocatalysts for a variety of reactions relevant to environmental and energy concerns due to their unique structure and characteristics. Considering that MOF-based photocatalysis burgeoned rapidly during the past several years, and with an aim to develop more efficient MOF-based photocatalytic materials, it is still necessary to summarize the strategies already reported to improve the performance of MOF-based photocatalytic materials, even though several excellent reviews on MOF-based photocatalysis have already been published. In this review, four structural engineering strategies to improve the efficiency of MOF-based photocatalysis have been summarized. These strategies include metal doping, ligand functionalization, the fabrication of ultrathin 2D MOFs, and defect engineering. These methods aim to enhance light absorption, improve charge separation and transportation, and create more catalytic active sites. Personal opinions on the opportunities, challenges, and developing trends of MOF-based photocatalysis were addressed. This review aims to provide guidance for the rational development of advanced MOF-based photocatalysts by elucidating the inherent relationship between their structural properties and catalytic activity.

Key words: Metal-organic framework, Photocatalysis, Metal doping, Ligand functionalization, Ultrathin 2D MOFs, Defect engineering