Durable substrates incorporated with MOFs: Recent advances in engineering strategies and water treatment applications

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted extensive attention as a new class of porous materials with diverse active sites for adsorption, separation, catalysis and so on. Combining MOFs with convenient substrates has become a research hot spot in the field of water treatment in recent years. However, traditional polymer-based MOFs composites have stability problems such as heat resistance, acid/alkali resistance and poor resistance to oxidation, which limit their application. Therefore, it becomes crucial to combine water-stable MOFs with porous durable substrates. This paper reviews the latest research progress in this area, the superiorities of durable substrates is firstly introduced from the perspective of structure and species, then the methods for preparing MOFs on substrates are discussed, and the modification methods to improve the binding stability of MOFs to durable substrates are analyzed in depth. In particular, this review innovatively summarizes the engineering strategies for MOFs incorporated with substrates, including the controllable distribution of MOFs on substrates, the regulation of MOFs morphology and size, the regulation of surface wettability and the design of synergistic effects. Their water treatment applications comprising adsorption, oil–water separation, catalytic degradation and desalination are also introduced. Finally, insights and prospects for future challenges are presented.