Coordination polymers as heterogeneous catalysts in hydrogen evolution and oxygen evolution reactions

Abstract

The efficiency of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in the process of electrochemical water oxidation will determine the competence for mass distributions of sustainable energy conversion technologies in the future. Recently, coordination polymers (CPs)/metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as desirable hybrid materials for catalysing electrochemical energy conversion processes due to their unique advantages, such as crystalline porous structure, high surface area, and diverse and tunable chemical components. This feature article briefly summarizes the recent part of the fast growing literature on electrocatalysis by pristine MOF/CPs, MOF composites, as well as post-synthetically modified materials for HER, OER and overall water splitting reactions. The article highlights the contributions of various authors in this area and aims to provide a consolidated idea regarding the engineering strategies and composition–structure–activity relationships of these pristine CP based materials for such electrocatalytic applications.