The Design of Water Oxidation Electrocatalysts from Nanoscale Metal-Organic Frameworks

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), as the shining stars in field of materials science, have become an important class of highly efficient catalysts for electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Although tremendous progresses have been achieved by exploring two MOF-based groups: the MOF-derived electrocatalysts and the direct MOF electrocatalysts in recently years, it appears that both activity and stability of these two kinds of MOF-based electrocatalysts have big rooms for improvement. In order to overcome these issues, a comprehensive summary of the advanced designs of catalysts is timely urgent. Here, the advanced engineering strategies including structural, carbon-based, metal-based and substrate-engineered strategies of MOF-derived catalysts have been introduced. In addition, the detailed explorations of the nanostructured direct MOF catalysts for OER are also reviewed. Finally, short comments and perspectives about the future development of the MOF-based OER electrocatalysts are provided.