Metal-Organic framework catalysts: A versatile platform for bioinspired electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide

The electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide is a promising solution to close the carbon cycle in energy storage and conversion. However, implementing this technology in commercial production still faces many challenges, such as poor activity, product selectivity, and stability. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are among the most promising materials in this context, owing to their simple design and synthesis combined with the high performance associated with their high porosity, large specific surface area, and tunable chemical structures. Therefore, this review discusses the most recent advances in developing MOF-based electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction. The study also summarizes the various transformations and modifications that can be applied to MOFs to emphasize the versatility of these materials. Finally, we discuss future research directions to achieve a more rational design and synthesis of MOFs, summarizing the reported catalytic performances. This review suggests that MOF nanomaterials can be a versatile synthesis platform to implement the bioinspired concept of CO2 reduction, which is important to achieve higher activity with lower activation energy.