Recent advances of electrically conductive metal-organic frameworks in electrochemical applications

With the drastic increase of global energy and sensing demand in this century, the development of sustainable energy and highly sensitive sensor has become progressively paramount. Electrochemical energy storage devices with the ability to store sustainable energy, electrochemical-sensing and electrocatalysis technologies such as O₂ reduction reaction (ORR), O₂ evolution reaction (OER), H₂ evolution reaction (HER), CO₂ reduction reaction (CRR), and N₂ reduction reaction (NRR) are highly desired. The performances of these devices tightly rely on the electrode materials, which has aroused extensive attention on the exploitations of novel electrode active substances. Due to the outstanding structural designability, large specific surface area and adjustable active sites, electrically conductive metal-organic frameworks with redox-activity (ECMOFs) are regarded as the capable candidates of active substances for those electrochemical applications. This review introduces the conductive mechanisms of ECMOFs, provides the design strategies of ECMOFs electrodes and summarizes the recent advances on ECMOFs in electrochemical sensing, electrochemical energy storage and electrocatalysts in detail. Finally, the challenges and outlook of ECMOFs in the practical applications are systematically emphasized, which will open an avenue to the development of ECMOFs-based electrochemical devices. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd.