Research progress on catalytic performance of metal organic frameworks for direct methane conversion

Abstract

Methane is one kind of important gaseous fossil fuel that widely exists in the natural gas. Conversion of methane to liquid fuel by heterogeneous catalysts is one of the effective strategies for the comprehensive economic development of natural gas. However, traditional homogeneous catalysts still suffer from low reaction rate, low efficiency and difficult recycling. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), as relatively new emerging crystalline porous materials, have shown to be promising heterogeneous catalysts or supports/precursors in the design and synthesis of various functional nanomaterials. In this review, the recent advances in MOFs-based heterogeneous catalysts for transforming methane into high value-added chemicals were reviewed systematically. Emphasis was mainly placed on the catalyst design, catalytic reactivity and reaction mechanism. Additionally, major challenges and further development for MOFs catalysts in the conversion of methane were discussed.