Selective reduction of CO2 by conductive MOF nanosheets as an efficient co-catalyst under visible light illumination

•Exfoliated nanosheets of conductive MOFs demonstrated outstanding activity and excellent selectivity in photocatalytic CO2 reduction.•Photogenerated electrons from sensitizer could be translocated and dispersed into the conductive MOFs with rich active sites.•The morphology, high dispersion of electrons and isolated Ni-N4 motifs synergically contribute to the excellent photocatalytic performance.