Linker's Functionality: A Critical Exploration of Metal‐Organic Frameworks and Their Derived Materials in Photocatalysis

Abstract In the photocatalytic conversion of water, carbon dioxide, and small‐molecule organics into clean energy sources and/or value‐added products, the direct or indirect utilization of metal‐organic framework (MOF) has gained significant attention because of its versatile use. The reaction flask uses either MOF directly or a MOF‐derived catalyst. In both cases, the role of ligand is noteworthy. When MOF is directly used, the role of the ligand is more defined and functions with several chemical and supramolecular interactions, conversely, the ligand is sacrificial when MOF‐derived materials are developed. Both aspects were critically assessed and covered categorically with suitable examples, and the research gap was identified. The current review offers (i) a fundamental idea of charge transfer phenomena irrespective of the nature of photocatalytic reactions, (ii) multi‐body interactions, and (iii) synthetic origin and structural properties of MOF‐derived materials that are only associated with the linkers and do not aim to discuss the (i) catalytic activity metric, (ii) role of metal nodes, and (iii) synthetic hypothesis of the MOF.