Reticular chemistry in electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction

Abstract

Electrochemical CO2 reduction (ECR) represents a promising strategy for utilizing CO2, an industrial waste, as an abundant and cheap carbon source for organic synthesis as well as storing intermittent renewable electricity from renewable sources. Efficient electrocatalysts allowing CO2 to be reduced selectively and actively are crucial since the ECR is a complex and sluggish process producing a variety of products. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalentorganic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as versatile materials applicable in many fields due to their unique properties including high surface areas and tunable pore channels. Besides, the emerging reticular chemistry makes tuning their features on the atomic/molecular levels possible, thereby lending credence to the prospect of their utilizations. Herein, an overview of recent progress in employing framework material-based catalysts, including MOFs, COFs and their derivatives, for ECR is provided. The pertinent challenges, future trends, and opportunities associated with those systems are also discussed.