Recent Advances on Multivariate MOFs for Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction and H-2 Evolution

Solar energy-driven CO2 reduction and H-2 evolution is considered as a very promising pathway to address energy shortage and environmental issues. Multivariate metal organic frameworks (MTV-MOFs) as a class of distinctive crystal porous materials are assembled from different metals or different ligands via one pot reaction or postsynthesis approach. Recently, MTV-MOFs have gathered significantly interest in the field of photocatalytic CO2 reduction and H-2 evolution owing to their excellent structural stability, tailorable light-absorption, and catalytic abilities. In this review, incorporating different functional ligands or metals into the parent MOFs are focused on to boost the photocatalytic performance of MTV-MOFs. First, the synthesis and unique advantages of MTV-MOF-based photocatalysts are introduced. Next, an overview on the recent advance on MTV-MOFs for solar-to-chemical energy conversion is summarized into three main categories, consisting of mixed-metal MOFs, mixed-ligand MOFs, and mixed-metal and mixed-ligand MOFs. Finally, future perspectives and challenges in CO2 conversion and H-2 evolution over MTV-MOF-based photocatalysts are presented.