Understanding the opportunities of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for CO2 capture and gas-phase CO2 conversion processes: a comprehensive overview

Abstract

The rapid increase in the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide is one of the most pressing problems facing our planet. This challenge has motivated the development of different strategies not only in the reduction of CO₂ concentrations via green energy alternatives but also in the capture and conversion of CO₂ into value-added products. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a relatively new class of porous materials with unique structural characteristics such as high surface areas, chemical tunability and stability, and have been extensively studied as promising materials to address this challenge. This comprehensive review identifies the specific structural and chemical properties of MOFs that result in advanced CO₂ capture capacities and fairly encouraging catalytic CO₂ conversion behaviour. More importantly, we describe an interconnection among the unique properties of MOFs and the engineering aspects of these intriguing materials towards CO₂ capture and conversion processes.