Recent research progress of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) based catalysts for CO2 cycloaddition reaction

The combustion of fossil fuels leads to the significant emission of carbonaceous compounds (e.g. CO2, CO), which results in a range of environmental problems (e.g. global warming). Among numerous carbonaceous compounds, although CO2 is the main culprit causing greenhouse effect, it is also an important carbon resource that can be used as a raw material for the synthesis of other important chemical substances. Among numerous CO2 activation and conversion processes, CO2 cycloaddition is an economically efficient transformation method because of its low price of raw materials, no other by-products during the reaction process, and atomic utilization rate of up to 100%, which comply with "green chemistry" and "atom economy". Moreover, the products of cyclic carbonates (e.g. ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate) play a crucial role in the electric vehicle industry and are widely utilized for their numerous advantages. However, CO2 is inert and difficult to be activated, so the search for efficient and stable catalysts is crucial for the rapid CO2 conversion. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as highly promising materials in the field of CO2 activation and conversion due to their tremendous potential for development. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the application of MOFs based catalysts in CO2 conversion. In addition, this study explores potential techniques for enhancing the catalytic efficiency of novel catalysts based on MOFs while investigating unexplored reactions for CO2 conversion.