Design of hollow carbon-based materials derived from metal–organic frameworks for electrocatalysis and electrochemical energy storage

Abstract

Hollow nanostructured materials are suitable for electrochemical reactions because of their unique internal cavity and short transport path. Carbon-based nanomaterials, including simplex carbon materials, heteroatom-doped carbon materials, carbon-transition metal nanoparticle composites, and carbon-transition metal compound composites, are promising electrode materials because of their high conductivity and stable structure. Hollow carbon-based nanomaterials, which possess the features of the aforementioned materials, have become a research hotspot in electrochemical energy storage and electrocatalysis. The excellent characteristics of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) make them an ideal material for constructing hollow carbon-based nanomaterials. In this article, the process of preparing MOF-derived hollow carbon-based materials and their applications in electrochemical energy storage and electrocatalysis are reviewed. First, the various methods for preparing MOF-derived hollow carbon-based materials are introduced, and the characteristics of each method are analyzed. Second, the applications of MOF-derived hollow carbon-based materials in the oxygen evolution reaction, oxygen reduction reaction, hydrogen evolution reaction, lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries, lithium–sulfur batteries, and supercapacitors are analyzed and summarized. Finally, research directions for further development of MOF-derived hollow carbon-based materials are proposed.