Two-Dimensional Conductive Metal-Organic Frameworks Electrocatalyst: Design Principle and Energy Conversion Applications

Designing conductive electrocatalysts for converting energy into value-added chemicals and fuels offers a promising pathway to attaining a sustainable carbon energy cycle. Concerning conductive metal-organic frameworks (c-MOFs), a new class of porous organic material has been widely explored due to their predictable and diverse structure tunability, intrinsic permanent porosity, high charge mobility, and excellent electrical conductivity. Despite their promise, the reported two-dimensional (2D) c-MOFs materials concern significant challenges, including design principle, complex synthesis route, and fundamental understanding of the relationship between functional group characteristics and their activity. This review first provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamental and breakthrough strategies for the design principle of 2D c-MOFs. Secondly, we address the research gap between linker and metal center interactions and energy conversion applications, including hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CDRR), and nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) applications. Finally, this review discusses practical approaches to determining the catalytic properties of 2D c-MOFs and exploring the perspective of the central metal and its coordination environment. By offering valuable insights, we aim to guide the design of high-performance 2D c-MOF materials for electrochemical energy conversion systems.