Themed collection Editor’s Choice: Functional MOFs and COFs

This review summarizes the representative works of MOFs for gas adsorption/separation in recent years, analyses the host–guest interaction, structure–performance relations, and the adsorption/separation mechanism.

The fossil-fuel shortage and severe environmental issues have posed ever-increasing demands on clean and renewable energy sources, for which the exploration of electrocatalysts has been a big challenge toward energy transfer and storage.

Hierarchically constructed metal–organic frameworks and covalent organic frameworks toward emergent electrochemical applications.

Integration of molecular photoswitches in porous materials i.e. MOFs, COFs, PAFs provides responsive materials with a variety of functions ranging from switchable gas adsorption to macroscopic actuation.

This minireview summarizes the recent advances in the emerging field of luminescent Ln-MOF nanoprobes, covering from fundamental insights to bioapplications.

This minireview summarizes the synthesis strategies to access trimetallic MOFs and their catalytic performances toward the oxygen evolution reaction.

This review systematically sums up the design principles and strategies for MOF precursors and discusses the relationship between MOF precursors and the target porous carbon for the accurate architecture of high-performance supercapacitors.

2D MOF-based materials with unique characteristics have great potential in various electrocatalytic, photocatalytic and thermocatalytic applications.

Developing efficient and low-cost electrocatalysts with unique nanostructures is of great significance for improved electrocatalytic reactions, including the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).

This review introduces biological metal–organic frameworks (bio-MOFs) designed and prepared using biological ligands for bio-sensing, bio-imaging, and drug delivery.

We outline the latest developments in COF-based nanomedicines for use in oncotherapy, including material synthesis, nanocrystallization, and functionalization strategies, as well as their therapeutics applications.

Metal–organic frameworks are emerging players in the fabrication of flexible energy storage devices to power flexible and wearable electronics.

In this review, recent progress in MOF-based composites was summarized with an effort to clarify the structure–performance relationship of MOF-based composites, with particular emphasis on the functions of MOF components for practical applications.

This review first summarizes surface-coordinated metal–organic framework thin films (SURMOFs) for electrocatalytic applications.

Transforming MOFs into metal-free carbons is bringing the novel potential for MOFs to achieve industrialization owing to their with highly crystalline porous structures, showing great potential on the energy storage and environmental applications.

The recent progress on the fabrication of two-dimensional metal–organic frameworks and their derivatives as well as their applications in electrochemical energy storage and electrocatalysis are reviewed.

Low dimensional materials based sensors have improved the detection strategy for sensing complex substances present in environment and human body.

A novel core–shell structured MOF-GC@COF heterostructure was synthesized with high sensing performance toward formaldehyde is presented.

W₃C₁₂X₁₂ (X = O, S, and Se) were screened as promising NRR electrocatalysts with an ultralow limiting potential.

A new wavy 2D covalent organic framework shines light on the structural factors that dominate charge transport.

Conductive SURMOF-composite thin films were successfully obtained by Pd-catalyzed polymerization of methyl propiolate and deeply investigated, finding evidence for depot release effects.

Fine-tuning of 2D metal–organic nanostructures is realized by alkali–pyridyl coordination.

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are excellent materials for energy storage and conversion.

Two types of discrete complexes have been encapsulated in InOF-24 by impregnation method, and are then subjected to pyrolysis with a conversion to the porous carbon material (InFeCo@CNS900).

Nanoscaled lanthanide metal–organic frameworks (Ln-MOFs), Dy-BTC nanospheres, are explored as an O₂ electrode, which demonstrate an ultrahigh discharge capacity and long cycling life.

Small carbon dots as cocatalysts were loaded in MOF particles for CO₂ reduction and their location effect was explored.

Here, a hierarchical porous NiO film/ITO glass bifunctional electrode has been prepared successfully via growing MOF-74 in situ on ITO, which shows outstanding cycle reversibility, excellent capacitance, and high coloration efficiency.

Novel nanostructured non-redox-metal potassium metal–organic framework, [C₇H₃KNO₄]_n, as an effective organic anode for long-cycle life OPIBs.

A composite of Si nanoparticles and a two dimensional porous conductive Ni₃(2,3,6,7,10,11-hexaiminotriphenylene)₂ (Ni₃(HITP)₂) metal–organic framework (MOF), namely Si/Ni₃(HITP)₂, is suggested as a potential anode material for Li-ion batteries.

Co₃O₄ hierarchical nanosheets were synthesized by a self-templated strategy and showed excellent performance towards visible-light photocatalytic CO₂ reduction to CO.