(Keynote) Electrochemical Behavior and Applications of Electrically Conducting MOFs

Owing to their high surface areas, metal-organic frameworks offer intriguing opportunities in various electrochemical applications, where geometric current density can be increased by the high density of (electrochemically) competent sites. Indeed, many MOFs have been employed already in applications such as electrochemical double-layer capacitors, electrocatalysis, and batteries. However, in most cases, various binders are necessary because the vast majority of MOFs are not electrically conductive. One subset of MOFs that stands out in this respect are two-dimensional materials that are connected via fully conjugated organic ligands and single metal ions that typically feature square-planar coordination environment. These graphene/graphite-like MOFs exhibit electrical conductivities in excess of 10-100 S/cm, which obviates the need for additional conductive binders when used in devices. We will discuss the fundamental electronic and structural features that make these materials attractive for electrochemistry, and show initial results from their use in supercapacitors and electrocatalytic devices.