Recent advances in hydrogen bonded organic frameworks and their derived materials for electrocatalytic water splitting

Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs) have their roots in multifunctional materials and show significant potential to play a vital role in the development of future innovative materials. HOFs possess an exceptional advantage as these materials can be easily recovered and regenerated through a simple recrystallization process. Hydrogen bonding connections in HOFs offer numerous benefits, including straightforward purification procedures, remarkably high crystallinity, solution processability, and recyclability. The unique advantages of HOFs have sparked significant interest across various fields, encompassing gas adsorption and separation, electrocatalysis, chemical sensing, and the creation of highly efficient electro- and photocatalytic materials. However, unlike widely recognized porous materials such as zeolites, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and covalent-organic frameworks (COFs), the task of stabilizing HOFs is considerably more challenging due to the weak interactions. Moreover, due to the substantially weaker nature of hydrogen bonds compared to ionic, coordination, and covalent bonds, maintaining permanent porosities in HOFs is also challenging. This review summarizes the recent research conducted in HOFs and their derived materials as electrocatalysts for water splitting. We also highlighted the challenges that HOFs need to overcome when used as electrocatalysts.