Application of MOFs-Derived Metal Sulfides and Their Composites in Photocatalysis

With the rapid development of society and economy, the demand for energy has been continuously increasing. Solar energy has emerged as a clean energy source with great development potential, and the long-term effective utilization of solar energy has become an urgent problem that needs to be addressed. Metal -organic frameworks (MOFs) derived metal sulfides retain the original structural characteristics of their parent MOFs, including large surface areas, dispersed nanoscale subunits, and abundant active sites. They overcome the limitations of MOFs in terms of material stability at high temperatures and harsh chemical environments. Moreover, compared to metal oxides, they have a narrower bandgap, which extends their light absorption range to the visible region. The porous nature of MOFs-derived metal sulfides also provides additional pathways for light -induced electron migration, promoting charge carrier separation. As a result, they have attracted increasing attention in the field of photocatalysis. Although this field is still in its nascent stage, the results obtained so far indicate that MOF-derived metal sulfides and their composite photocatalysts have high potential for practical applications. This article systematically elucidates the synthesis, performance, and mechanisms of MOFs-derived metal sulfide photocatalysts and their composites in various application areas, such as wastewater treatment, water splitting for hydrogen generation, and CO2 reduction. This will provide a new direction for the synthesis and application of novel and efficient composite photocatalytic materials. Additionally, some existing issues in current research are addressed, and the future prospects and challenges of MOFs-derived sulfide photocatalytic materials are discussed.