Metal-organic frameworks for photocatalysis

As a relatively new class of crystalline porous materials, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) possess high porosity, large BET surface area, and structural diversity and tailorability. Many MOFs feature semiconductor-like behavior, and their crystalline/perfect structures inhibit the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Moreover, the porous structure of MOFs greatly facilitates the rapid utilization of charge carriers. Therefore, MOFs have earned more and more interest toward photocatalysis in recent years. In this review, we summarize recent progress of MOF-based catalysts for diverse photocatalytic reactions, including dye degradation, organic transformation, hydrogen production by water splitting, water oxidation, as well as carbon dioxide reduction, etc. In addition, the photocatalysis over MOF-pyrolyzed derivatives have been briefly introduced as well. Finally, the further development and challenge in MOF photocatalysis are discussed.