Hydrophobicity: a key factor en route to applications of metal–organic frameworks

Water is ubiquitous on planet Earth. Whereas freshwater is proverbially mentioned as life, water in its vapor and liquid forms is infamous as a nemesis to solid adsorbents/catalysts in terms of negatively impacting their relevant performance parameters. Despite early promises, modularly composed metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are no exception to this oft-encountered handicap of water instability. Thanks to the recent emergence of high surface hydrophobicity, some water-stable MOFs have been realized. We herein put forward a critical analysis of the hydrophobic MOFs and MOF composites known thus far. Recent developments in this area are contextualized from the perspective of future growth as regards several applications of immediate relevance to energy and environmental sustainability for a greener tomorrow.