MOF-Based Electrocatalysts for Water Electrolysis, Energy Storage, and Sensing: Progress and Insights

Abstract

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and their derivatives have shown broad application prospects in fields such as water electrolysis, electrochemical energy storage, and sensing due to their high specific surface area, tunable structures, and abundant active sites. This article provides a comprehensive overview of our research group′s recent advancements in developing MOF-based electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) and Urea Oxidation Reaction (UOR) at anodes, as well as Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) at cathodes during water electrolysis. Furthermore, we have integrated these catalysts into practical applications, including metal-air batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, and non-enzymatic glucose sensors. To further demonstrate the innovative contributions of our work, we systematically compare it with the advanced work by other groups. Based on these findings and performance benchmarking analyses, we identify critical challenges that must be addressed to advance MOFs-based electrocatalysts toward next-generation energy conversion and sensing.