Critical Barriers and Frontiers in Metal-Organic Framework-Glass for Electrocatalysis

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) possess enormous electrocatalytic potential but are fundamentally limited by poor structural stability and high grain-boundary resistance. MOF-glass composites, formed by quenching MOF liquids, are emerging as a robust solution to instability. However, vitrification introduces critical trade-offs: the collapse of ordered porosity and the loss of transport pathways. This Perspective identifies four main barriers: the thermodynamic scarcity of melt-quenchable frameworks, characterization difficulties, the stability-accessibility trade-off, and ambiguous operando evolution. Through analyzing main electrocatalytic reactions, including the hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, and nitrate reduction reaction, we argue that pure MOF glasses are often transport-limited spectators. Therefore, we conclude that future viability lies in glass-ceramic structures, where conductive glass matrices protect embedded active nanocrystals, requiring a shift from serendipity to computational gene-to-function design.