Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for hybrid water electrolysis: structure-property-performance correlation

Hybrid water electrolysis (HWE) is a promising pathway for the simultaneous production of high-value chemicals and clean H2 fuel. Unlike conventional electrochemical water splitting, which relies on the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), HWE involves the anodic oxidation reaction (AOR). The AORs facilitate the conversion of organic or inorganic compounds at the anode into valuable chemicals, while the cathode carries out the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) to produce H2. Recent literature has witnessed a surge in papers investigating various AORs with organic and inorganic substrates using a series of transition metal-based catalysts. Over the past two decades, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have garnered significant attention for their exceptional performance in electrochemical water splitting. These catalysts possess distinct attributes such as highly porous architectures, customizable morphologies, open facets, high electrochemical surface areas, improved electron transport, and accessible catalytic sites. While MOFs have demonstrated efficiency in electrochemical water splitting, their application in hybrid water electrolysis has only recently been explored. In recent years, a series of articles have been published; yet there is no comprehensive article summarizing MOFs for hybrid water electrolysis. This article aims to fill this gap by delving into the recent progress in MOFs specifically tailored for hybrid water electrolysis. In this article, we systematically discuss the structure-property-performance relationships of various MOFs utilized in hybrid water electrolysis, supported by pioneering examples. We explore how the structure, morphology, and electronic properties of MOFs impact their performance in hybrid water electrolysis, with particular emphasis on value-added chemical generation, H2 production, potential improvement, conversion efficiency, selectivity, faradaic efficiency, and their potential for industrial-scale applications. Furthermore, we address future advancements and challenges in this field, providing insights into the prospects and challenges associated with the continued development and deployment of MOFs for hybrid water electrolysis.

Glycine-Modified Co-MOF Pervaporation Membrane to Enhance Water Transporting

Cobalt-based metal-organic frameworks (Co-MOFs) with a two-dimensional layered morphology have received increasing attention for pervaporation due to their stability and hydrophilic properties. Using amino glycine (Gly) as a cross-linking agent, the Co-MOF ultrathin two-dimensional membrane doped with organic filler sodium alginate (SA) with the "brick-mixed-sand" structure was proposed. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was selected as the support layer of the hybrid membrane. The introduction of Gly efficiently solved the nanomaterial stacking problem and controllably adjusted the interlayer spacing between the nanosheets, which demonstrated good performance for ethanol dehydration. The results of this experimental research showed that the total flux of alcohol/water (9:1) separation by Gly-Co-MOF-SA/PAN hybrid membranes reached 1902 g m-2 h-1, which was 67% higher than that of the pure SA membranes. The "brick-mixed-sand" lamellar dense morphology of Gly-Co-MOF not only enhances membrane hydrophilicity but also provides effective channels for the rapid transport of water, which is expected to be used for the dehydration of organic solvents.

Ultrafast Response in Nonenzymatic Electrochemical Glucose Sensing with Ni(II)-MOFs by Dimensional Manipulation

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are emerging as promising candidates for electrochemical glucose sensing owing to their ordered channels, tunable chemistry, and atom-precision metal sites. Herein, the efficient nonenzymatic electrochemical glucose sensing is achieved by taking advantage of Ni(II)-based metal-organic frameworks (Ni(II)-MOFs) and acquiring the ever-reported fastest response time. Three Ni(II)-MOFs ({[Ni6L2(H2O)26]4H2O}n (CTGU-33), {Ni(bib)1/2(H2L)1/2(H2O)3}n (CTGU-34), {Ni(phen)(H2L)1/2(H2O)2}n (CTGU-35)) have been synthesized for the first time, which use benzene-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexacarboxylic acid (H6L) as an organic ligand and introduce 1,4-bis(1-imidazoly)benzene (bib) or 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) as spatially auxiliary ligands. Bib and phen convert the coordination mode of CTGU-33, affording structural dimensions from 2D of CTGU-33 to 3D of CTGU-34 or 1D of CTGU-35. By tuning the dimension of the skeleton, CTGU-34 with 3D interconnected channels exhibits an ultrafast response of less than 0.4 s, which is superior to the existing nonenzymatic electrochemical sensors. Additionally, a low detection limit of 0.12 μM (S/N = 3) and a high sensitivity of 1705 μA mM-1 cm-2 are simultaneously achieved. CTGU-34 further showcases desirable anti-interference and cycling stability, which demonstrates a promising application prospect in the real-time detection of glucose.

Recent Progress in MOF-Based Electrochemical Sensors for Non-Enzymatic Glucose Detection

In recent years, substantial advancements have been made in the development of enzyme-free glucose sensors utilizing pristine metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and their combinations. This paper provides a comprehensive exploration of various MOF-based glucose sensors, encompassing monometallic MOF sensors as well as multi-metal MOF combinations. These approaches demonstrate improved glucose detection capabilities, facilitated by the augmented surface area and availability of active sites within the MOF structures. Furthermore, the paper delves into the application of MOF complexes and derivatives in enzyme-free glucose sensing. Derivatives incorporating carbon or metal components, such as carbon cloth synthesis, rGO-MOF composites, and core-shell structures incorporating noble metals, exhibit enhanced electrochemical performance. Additionally, the integration of MOFs with foams or biomolecules, such as porphyrins, enhances the electrocatalytic properties for glucose detection. Finally, this paper concludes with an outlook on the future development prospects of enzyme-free glucose MOF sensors.

Design and Application of Electrochemical Sensors with Metal-Organic Frameworks as the Electrode Materials or Signal Tags

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with fascinating chemical and physical properties have attracted immense interest from researchers regarding the construction of electrochemical sensors. In this work, we review the most recent advancements of MOF-based electrochemical sensors for the detection of electroactive small molecules and biological macromolecules (e.g., DNA, proteins, and enzymes). The types and functions of MOF-based nanomaterials in terms of the design of electrochemical sensors are also discussed. Furthermore, the limitations and challenges of MOF-based electrochemical sensing devices are explored. This work should be invaluable for the development of MOF-based advanced sensing platforms.

Metal-Organic-Framework- and MXene-Based Taste Sensors and Glucose Detection

Taste sensors can identify various tastes, including saltiness, bitterness, sweetness, sourness, and umami, and have been useful in the food and beverage industry. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and MXenes have recently received considerable attention for the fabrication of high-performance biosensors owing to their large surface area, high ion transfer ability, adjustable chemical structure. Notably, MOFs with large surface areas, tunable chemical structures, and high stability have been explored in various applications, whereas MXenes with good conductivity, excellent ion-transport characteristics, and ease of modification have exhibited great potential in biochemical sensing. This review first outlines the importance of taste sensors, their operation mechanism, and measuring methods in sensing utilization. Then, recent studies focusing on MOFs and MXenes for the detection of different tastes are discussed. Finally, future directions for biomimetic tongues based on MOFs and MXenes are discussed.

Highly sensitive non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensor surpassing water oxidation interference

An electrochemical non-enzymatic sensor based on a NiVP/Pi material was developed for the selective and sensitive determination of glucose. The novel sensor showed a high sensitivity of 6.04 mA μM-1 cm-2 with a lowest detection limit of 3.7 nM in a wide detection range of 100 nM-10 mM. The proposed sensor exhibited a superior selectivity without any interference from the oxygen evolution reaction during glucose sensing. We also found that this glucose sensor showed negligible interference from various interferents, such as ascorbic acid, uric acid, dopamine and sodium chloride. Additionally, a novel flexible sensor was developed by coating the NiVP/Pi over Whatman filter paper, which exhibited two linear ranges of 100 nM to 1 μM and 100 μM to 10 mM with an ultra-sensitivity of 1.130 mA μM-1 cm-2 and 0.746 mA μM-1 cm-2, respectively, in 0.1 M NaOH. The proposed sensor was tested with human blood serum samples demonstrating its practical application. Our findings provide a new route by fine tuning the composition of nickel and vanadium that sheds new light on better understanding the processes. This NiVP/Pi-based sensor offers a new approach towards the electrochemical detection of glucose, enabling glucose monitoring in a convenient way.

Smartphone-based colorimetric detection systems for glucose monitoring in the diagnosis and management of diabetes

Diabetes is a group of metabolic conditions resulting in high blood sugar levels over prolonged periods that affects hundreds of millions of patients worldwide. Measuring glucose concentration enables patient-specific insulin therapy, and is essential to reduce the severity of the disease, potential complications, and related mortalities. Recent advances and developments in smartphone-based colorimetric glucose detection systems are discussed in this review. The importance of glucose monitoring, data collection, transfer, and analysis, via non-invasive/invasive methods is highlighted. The review also presents various approaches using 3D-printed materials, screen-printed electrodes, polymer templates, designs allowing multiple glucose analysis, bioanalytes and/or nanostructures for glucose detection. The positive effects of advances in improving the performance of smartphone-based platforms are introduced along with future directions and trends in the application of emerging technologies in smartphone-based diagnostics.

A longitudinally expanded Ni-based metal-organic framework with enhanced double nickel cation catalysis reaction channels for a non-enzymatic sweat glucose biosensor

Nickel-based metal-organic frameworks (Ni-MOFs) have attracted increasing attention in non-enzymatic glucose sensing. However, the insufficient active Ni cation sites from a stacked MOF layer, the unclear Ni catalysis mechanism, and the severe liquid alkaline electrolyte remain challenging for practical applications. In this work, the sonication-induced longitudinal-expansion of Ni-MOFs increases the active nickel ion sites, which not only enhances the current response to glucose detection, but also shows the oxidation peak evolution of nickel ions with different sonication times, revealing the mechanism of different glucose detection channels. The Ni-MOF sonicated for 60 min (60 min Ni-MOF) displays enhanced Ni(iii)/Ni(ii) and more significant Ni(iv)/Ni(iii) double nickel cation channels for catalyzing glucose into glucolactone compared to the 0 min Ni-MOF (without sonication), showing optimized glucose detection ability with a high sensitivity of 3297.10 μA mM-1 cm-2, a low detection limit of ∼8.97 μM (signal-to-noise = 3) and a wide linear response range from 10 to 400 μM from the cyclic voltammetry test as well as a high sensitivity of 3.03 μA mM-1 cm-2, a low detection limit of ∼1.16 μM (signal-to-noise = 3) and a wide linear response range from 10 to 2000 μM from the chronoamperometry test. More importantly, an all-solid-state glucose biosensor using a PVA/NaOH solid-state electrolyte and a disposable 60 min Ni-MOF working electrode is assembled for non-enzymatic sweat glucose detection.