Recent advances in metal–organic frameworks and their derivatives for electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction to ammonia

Electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is emerging as a carbon-free approach for fixing nitrogen (N2) to ammonia (NH3), which is conducive to alleviating high energy consumption and heavy pollution from the industrial Haber–Bosch method. Good design and preparation of advanced electrocatalysts are the most significant factors in realizing excellent catalytic performance. Recently, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been capturing interest in the electrocatalytic NRR to NH3 because of their well-developed pores, large surface areas, and custom-built architectures with atomic level adjustability. Herein, a comprehensive overview of MOFs and their derivatives as NRR catalysts is briefly presented, along with a critical discussion of some representative instances. Moreover, challenges and prospects for optimizing MOFs-based NRR electrocatalysts at ambient conditions are proposed.