Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) and Their Derivatives for Environmental Remediation and Energy Devices

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline porous materials made of metal nodes coordinated by organic linkers. Their high surface areas, tunable pore sizes, adjustable chemical environments, and modular design make MOFs promising for two main application domains: environmental remediation and energy conversion or storage. In this review, we explore the applications of both newly designed MOFs and MOF-derived materials. These applications include catalysis, electrocatalysis, sensing, pollutant removal, batteries, supercapacitors, and other hybrid energy devices. We attempt to correlate MOF structure with key parameters, such as metal centers, ligands, defects, and porosity, to performance. We also discuss the future use of MOFs in real-world devices. This depends on overcoming challenges such as scalability, conductivity, stability, and environmental safety.