Metal–Organic Framework‐Based Materials for Solar Water Splitting

Abstract

Solar‐driven water splitting is a promising way to produce renewable hydrogen. The design of efficient semiconductor photocatalysts plays a vital role in this process. The recent dynamic development of metal–organic framework (MOF) materials provides a good opportunity to design efficient composite photocatalysts toward solar water splitting. Herein, a critical review of the design and development of MOF/semiconductor composite photocatalysts for solar‐driven water splitting is presented. The designing strategies of MOF‐based composite photocatalysts, including the use of organic ligands, quantum dots and carbon‐based materials to form heterostructures, and the combination of MOF layers with semiconductors to fabricate thin‐film photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical water splitting, are introduced. The remaining challenges and future perspectives of the MOF‐based composites with the hope of achieving improved solar water splitting are also discussed.

Multi-stepwise charge transfer via MOF@MOF/TiO2 dual-heterojunction photocatalysts towards hydrogen evolution

“…Featuring molecular modiability for desirable band values and regular morphology for a specic oriented transfer path, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a new class of porous organic framework materials provide a broad platform to construct the MSCT path. 18,19 Among them, NH 2 -MIL-125, an amine-functionalized Ti-based MOF, due to its distinct photo-responsive feature, has great potential in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. 20,21 Particularly, its band position can be easily adjusted via changing the organic linker side-chain, such as -OH, 22 -NO 2 23 and -SCH 3 , 24 which enables it to be an ideal candidate through rational energy band matching to mimic the MSCT process in natural photosynthesis.…”

Polymer Photoelectrodes for Solar Fuel Production: Progress and Challenges

“…Thus, the combination of MOFs with appropriate semiconductors can be a promising approach to design effective solar conversion processes. The MOF-based photocatalyst suspension has been widely reported and reviewed, 138 though photocathodes made from MOFs are much less discussed.…”

Toward Optimal Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation from Water Using Pyrene-Based Metal–Organic Frameworks

“…Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline materials consisting of metal-based building blocks linked by organic bridging ligands. The presence of the metal centers in their structure, their high porosity (facilitating the exposure of active sites), and their structural tunability allow MOFs to exhibit catalytic activity toward different reactions. − Photocatalytic H 2 evolution reaction (HER) from water is one of the promising catalytic applications that MOFs have been investigated for, thanks to their advantageous characteristics such as (i) adjustable light absorption, (ii) porous structure shortening the charge transfer path and improving the separation of electron–hole pairs, and (iii) possibility of incorporating different co-catalysts or photosensitizers to promote the separation of electron–hole pairs. − Depending on the design principles of MOFs, they can produce H 2 from water under UV or UV–visible light. The UV light irradiation conditions correspond to only 3–5% of the solar spectrum; therefore, the development of visible-light active MOFs has been of importance by the careful selection of the ligand.…”