Recent Advances in MOF-Based Materials for Photocatalytic Nitrogen Fixation

Solar-driven photocatalytic nitrogen fixation is a low-energy and environmentally friendly strategy for NH3 synthesis, which is considered as a possible alternative to the Haber-Bosch (HB) process. Considering the extremely high bond energy of N-2, the choice of photocatalysts is essential for nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). As a class of porous materials with high crystallinity and adjustable organic ligands, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been proven to exhibit high photocatalytic activity for a lot of reactions. Recently, MOFs and MOF-based functional materials have become a kind of promising photocatalysts for NRR. In this minireview, we provide a comprehensive overview of the work reported so far on the MOF and MOF-derived photocatalysts for the nitrogen fixation. Through the comprehensive analysis of the structures, nitrogen fixation performances and mechanisms of these photocatalysts, this minireview provides a reference for the design of new photocatalysts based on MOF materials.