Strategies for Optimizing the Photocatalytic Water-Splitting Performance of Metal–Organic Framework-Based Materials

Semiconductor photocatalytic hydrogen production technology is a pollution-free and low-cost technology, which is principal to alleviate the energy crisis. The metal–organic frameworks (MOFs)-based materials have been widely used in this field because of their regular and controllable pore structure and high specific surface area. Accordingly, the recent progress of MOFs-based materials in the production of hydrogen through water splitting is reviewed. First, the mechanism of photocatalytic hydrogen production and the existing problems are proposed and then their advantages in photocatalytic hydrogen production and various photocatalytic hydrogen production catalysts based on MOFs are summarized. Subsequently, several methods to improve their photocatalytic hydrogen production property are summarized. Finally, some views on the prospects and challenges of the use of MOFs-based catalysts for photocatalytic hydrolysis are expounded. Although some reviews associated with MOFs for solar-driven H2 production have been published, most of them focus on the classification of MOFs photocatalysts. This is the first comprehensive review concentrating on the strategies for optimizing the photocatalytic activity of MOFs-based materials for H2 production. It is believed that the suggestions provided here can help to study MOFs-based photocatalytic reactions and to further promote the development of this research direction in the future.