Metal-organic frameworks for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide: The role of metal centers

Abstract Direct electrochemical reduction of CO2 into valuable chemicals and fuel is one of the most promising approaches to address the current energy crisis and lower CO2 emission. Recently, numerous metal-organic framework (MOF) and their derived materials have extensively been developed as electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction owing to their unique structure including porosity, large specific surface area, and tunable chemical structures. In this review, the recent progress of MOF-based electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction was summarized and discussed. Detailed discussions mainly focus on the synthesis and mechanism of pristine MOFs and MOF-derived materials for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction. These examples are expected to provide clues to rational design and synthesis of stable and high-performance MOFs-based electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction.