Strategies to engineer metal-organic frameworks for efficient photocatalysis

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.