J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2025, Vol. 230: 291-310.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2024.11.081

• Review Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Progress of pristine metal-organic frameworks for electrocatalytic applications

Xiaoyu Zhenga, Minghui Lia, Jing Lia, Xiangyang Lia, Yao Zhoua,b,*   

  1. aAdvanced Research Institute of Multidisciplinary Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China;
    bZhuhai Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), Beijing Institute of Technology, Zhuhai 519088, China
  • Received:2024-09-16 Revised:2024-11-06 Accepted:2024-11-09 Published:2025-09-20 Online:2025-09-15
  • Contact: *Advanced Research Institute of Multidisciplinary Sci- ence, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China. E-mail address: zhouyao@bit.edu.cn (Y. Zhou)

Abstract: Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising highly active electrocatalysts with well-defined structures, high porosity, and abundant redox sites. However, most of them undergo a pyrolysis treatment to form derivatives and are employed as the catalytic phase, leading to the structural collapse and loss of organic linkers. Utilizing the pristine MOFs can greatly maximize their superiority. In this review, we summarize the recent advances of pristine MOFs in the electrocatalytic HER/OER/ORR/CO2RR process from the perspective of metal-anion and ligand-based active sites. For each electrocatalytic reaction, the tuning strategies and the effects of different active sites on electrochemical performance are discussed. Finally, the current challenges and future directions of pristine MOF-based electrocatalytic materials are outlined.

Key words: Pristine MOFs, Metal-anion active sites, Ligand-based active sites, Tuning strategies, Electrocatalysis