Interfacial effects on metal-organic frameworks for boosting electrocatalytic reactions

Metal-organic framework (MOF) materials exhibit great potential in the field of electrocatalysis due to their high specific surface area, tunable pore structures, and abundant active sites. However, further enhancement of their electrocatalytic performance is often limited by factors such as electron transport efficiency, accessibility of active sites, and interfacial reaction kinetics. Interface engineering strategies have been proposed as a promising strategy for modifying MOF-based catalysts for optimizing their catalytic performance. Significant progress has been made in recent years. Based on this, this review summarizes recent developments in interface modification to enhance MOF materials, focusing on the unique effects induced by the interfacial modification of MOF materials, such as optimizing electron transport and conductivity, increasing the exposure of active sites, improving mass transfer of reactants/products, and stabilizing interfacial structures. Additionally, the applications of various types of MOF-based composite materials for promoting electrocatalytic performance that induced by interfacial effects are also manifested. Finally, the challenges and perspectives of this interesting field are also discussed to offer guidance for the future design of more advanced MOF-based electrocatalysts.