From Frameworks to Functionality: A Review of MOF-Derived Materials in Emerging Supercapacitor Technologies

Abstract

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as versatile precursors for engineering advanced electrode materials for supercapacitors, owing to their tunable porosity, compositional diversity, and structural regularity. Through controlled thermal or chemical transformations, MOFs can be converted into porous carbons, metal oxides, or composite architectures that integrate high surface area with enhanced electrical conductivity and abundant redox-active sites. Recent reports demonstrate remarkable electrochemical performance, with MOF-derived carbons exceeding 350 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹, transition-metal oxide hybrids surpassing 700 F g⁻¹, and energy densities above 25 Wh kg⁻¹ in asymmetric devices. This review distinguishes itself through a critical assessment of structure-property relationships across several studies and benchmarking MOF-derived materials against commercial alternatives. It critically examines how morphological control, heteroatom doping, defect engineering, and hybridization strategies influence capacitance, energy/power density, and cycling stability, with particular attention to the mechanistic roles of pore architecture, electronic pathways, and interfacial synergy in charge storage processes. It also evaluates current challenges, including scalability, conductivity limitations, and structural degradation, alongside emerging opportunities: computationally guided material design validated by machine learning predictions (20-30% capacitance improvement), operando characterization revealing ion-pinning mechanisms, defect tuning strategies with quantified trade-offs, and multifunctional device integration. By bridging fundamental insights with practical considerations, this work provides an actionable design framework for translating MOF-derived materials into next-generation sustainable supercapacitor technologies.