The most advanced synthesis and a wide range of applications of MOF-74 and its derivatives

This review summarizes the latest synthesis methods, characterization and corresponding applications of MOF-74 and its derivatives in recent years. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are nanomaterials with many attractive advantages, such as good stability, large specific surface area and large apertures, which make them receive considerable attention. Among them, MOF-74 is a particularly outstanding one attribute to its excellent CO2 adsorption capacity. MOF-74 can be synthesized directly from a metal oxide and without bulk solvent, which not only saves a lot of time and money, but also is more ecological. The mesopores in MOF-74 can be adjusted to as large as 15 nm stably at room temperature. And characterization results show MOF-74 possesses good hydrolysis stability, highly stable structure, gas adsorption capacity, catalytic activity and so on. In addition, multifarious synthetic materials with additional functionality can be obtained by properly combining MOF-74 with other components. Therefore, MOF-74 has great potential and has aroused great enthusiasm for research in many aspects, such as gas adsorption, separation, and catalysis and so on.