Integrated electrocatalysts derived from metal organic frameworks for gas-involved reactions

Integrated electrocatalysts (IECs) containing well-defined functional materials directly grown on the current collector have sparked increasing interest in the fields of electrocatalysis owing to efficient activity, high stability and the fact that they are easily assembled into devices. Recently, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) provide a promising platform for constructing advanced IECs because of their properties of low cost, large surface area and efficient structural tunability. In this review, the design principles of state-of-the-art IECs based on MOFs are presented, including by hydrothermal/solvothermal, template-directed, electrospinning, electrodeposition and other methods. The high performance of MOF-derived IECs has also been demonstrated in electrocatalytic gas-involved reactions. This is promising for green energy storage and conversion. The structure-activity relationship and performance improvement mechanism of IECs are uncovered by discussing some in situ technologies for IECs. Finally, we provide an outlook on the challenges and prospects in this booming field.