Recent advances of Zr based metal organic frameworks photocatalysis: Energy production and environmental remediation

Recently, Zirconium (Zr) based metal organic frameworks (Zr-MOFs) materials have gathered increasing interest in the field of photocatalysis. Zr-MOFs not only have the large surface area, orderly porous structure, and tunable organic bridging linker/metal clusters as other MOFs, but also possess higher thermal stability and excellent water-tolerant than most of other MOFs. In this review, the Zr-MOFs with excellent photocatalytic properties reported in recent years are reviewed. Moreover, the strategies of improving the photocatalytic activity of Zr-MOFs and their applications in water splitting for hydrogen production, carbon dioxide reduction, removal of organic pollutants and Cr(Ⅵ) reduction are discussed, in addition, the mechanisms of these processes are also described in detail. Finally, the future developments and challenges of Zr-MOFs photocatalyst are also prospected.