Conductive Metal-Organic Frameworks: Mechanisms, Design Strategies and Recent Advances

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), constructed from metal ions and organic ligands through coordination assembly, exhibit considerable conductivity, which originates from the ionic or electronic transport pathway between the host architecture and guest species. In recent decades, the study of conductive MOFs has accelerated deservedly due to their importance in the electronic information industry. In this review, we first briefly describe the different mechanisms of ionic and electronic conduction. The design strategies of constructing intrinsic and doping MOFs are then summarized and generalized into three major categories (host-based-, guest-based- and host-guest-related systems) in terms of promoting conductive performance. In the next section we provide an overview of recent progress in research on conductive MOFs, providing details according to the various carriers of transporting electrons, protons and other ions. We conclude with a discussion on the practicability and emerging applications of conductive MOFs and a section on the existing challenges and development prospects.