Recent progress in lanthanide metal–organic frameworks and their derivatives in catalytic applications

Abstract

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a novel category of crystalline porous materials, which have become preferred heterogeneous catalysts for many reactions. MOFs are widely used in catalysis because of a combination of many advantages, such as large pore dimensions and surface area, abundant active sites, and possibility to be designed and modified after synthesis. As an important branch of the MOF family, lanthanide metal–organic frameworks (Ln-MOFs)—comprising a variety of multitopic organic ligands and Ln³⁺ ions/clusters—are a very fascinating MOF materials with complex and diverse topologies. As the functional metal center of MOFs, lanthanide metal ions have a higher coordination number and abundant coordination geometries compared with transition metal ions, which establishes the potential application of Ln-MOFs in the field of catalysis. In addition, Ln-MOFs have the same characteristics as MOFs, including structural diversity and tailorability, high surface area, and high thermal and chemical stability; therefore, Ln-MOFs and their derivatives are suitable for heterogeneous catalysis under various conditions. In this review, an overview of the recent developments achieved in Ln-MOF catalysis, including heterogeneous organic catalysis and photocatalysis over Ln-MOFs and their derivative materials, is provided.