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The unique applications of porous metal-organic framework (MOF) liquids with permanent porosity and fluidity have attracted significant attention. However, fabrication of porous MOF liquids remains challenging because of the easy intermolecular self-filling of the cavity or the rapid settlement of porous hosts in hindered solvents that cannot enter their pores. Herein, we report a facile strategy for the fabrication of a MOF liquid (Im-UiO-PL) by surface ionization of an imidazolium-functionalized framework with a sterically hindered poly(ethylene glycol) sulfonate (PEGS) canopy. The Im-UiO-PL obtained in this way has a CO2 adsorption approximately 14 times larger than that of pure PEGS. Distinct from a porous MOF solid counterpart, the stored CO2 in Im-UiO-PL can be slowly released and efficiently utilized to synthesize cyclic carbonates in the atmosphere. This is the first example of the use of a porous MOF liquid as a CO2 storage material for catalysis. It offers a new method for the fabrication of unique porous liquid MOFs with functional behaviors in various fields of gas adsorption and catalysis.

Porous crystalline metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are one class of promising electrode materials for CO2 electroreduction reaction (CO2RR) by virtue of their large CO2 adsorption capacities and abundant tunable active sites, but their insulating nature usually leads to low current density. Herein, a two-dimensional (2D) Ni-phthalocyanine-based MOF (NiPc-Ni(NH)4) constructed by 2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octaaminophthalocyaninato nickel(II) (NiPc-(NH2)8) and nickel(II) ions attained high electrical conductivity due to the high overlap of d-π conjugation orbitals between the nickel node and the Ni-phthalocyanine-substituted o-phenylenediamine. During CO2RR, the NiPc-Ni(NH)4 nanosheets achieved a high CO Faradaic efficiency of 96.4% at −0.7 V and a large CO partial current density of 24.8 mA cm−2 at −1.1 V, which surpassed all the reported two-dimensional MOF electrocatalysts evaluated in an H-cell. The control experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggested that the Ni-N4 units of the phthalocyanine ring are the catalytic active sites. This work provides a new route to the design of highly efficient porous framework materials for the enhanced electrocatalysis via improving electrical conductivity.

The electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 into value-added chemicals is a promising approach to realize a carbon-energy balance. However, low current density still limits the application of the CO2 electroreduction reaction (CO2 RR). Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are one class of promising alternatives for the CO2 RR due to their periodically arranged isolated metal active sites. However, the poor conductivity of traditional MOFs usually results in a low current density in CO2 RR. We have prepared conductive two-dimensional (2D) phthalocyanine-based MOF (NiPc-NiO4 ) nanosheets linked by nickel-catecholate, which can be employed as highly efficient electrocatalysts for the CO2 RR to CO. The obtained NiPc-NiO4 has a good conductivity and exhibited a very high selectivity of 98.4 % toward CO production and a large CO partial current density of 34.5 mA cm-2 , outperforming the reported MOF catalysts. This work highlights the potential of conductive crystalline frameworks in electrocatalysis.

Unsymmetrical porphyrin derivatives and metal-coordinated porphyrin have received great attention in potential application for their intriguing photo-physical and photo-chemical properties. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations were applied to simulate the molecular and electronic structures with the electronic absorption spectra of the unsymmetrical neo-confused porphyrin (NeoCP) derivatives. Molecular structure and fragment charge distribution results revealed that the carbon–nitrogen-swap structure lead to the redistribution of charges and the differentiation of inner hydrogen in the Neo-confused Porphyrin ring. Introducing the unsymmetrical strategy onto the porphyrin skeleton effectively varied the energy levels of molecular orbitals, resulting in significant multi-band photon absorption and Soret band splitting for the porphyrin derivatives. Ni coordinated NeoCP (NiNeoCP) showed broader visible light absorption capacity and better light absorption performance due to the contribution of Ni atom. The blue-shifted Q bands illuminate that the light absorption performance of NeoCP and NiNeoCP varies in different polarity solvents based on the integral equation formalism polarizable continuum model (IEF-PCM) results. These theoretical researches would be conducive to the molecular design of novel multi-band photon absorption porphyrin derivatives.

The electroreduction of CO2 to value-added chemicals such as CO is a promising approach to realize carbon-neutral energy cycle, but still remains big challenge including low current density. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with abundant accessible active single-sites can offer a bridge between homogeneous and heterogeneous electrocatalysis, but the low electrical conductivity limits their application for CO2 electroreduction reaction (CO2 RR). Here, a 2D conductive Ni-phthalocyanine-based COF, named NiPc-COF, is synthesized by condensation of 2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octa-aminophthalocyaninato Ni(II) and tert-butylpyrene-tetraone for highly efficient CO2 RR. Due to its highly intrinsic conductivity and accessible active sites, the robust conductive 2D NiPc-COF nanosheets exhibit very high CO selectivity (>93%) in a wide range of the applied potentials of -0.6 to -1.1 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and large partial current density of 35 mA cm-2 at -1.1 V versus RHE in aqueous solution that surpasses all the conventional COF electrocatalysts. The robust NiPc-COF that is bridged by covalent pyrazine linkage can maintain its CO2 RR activity for 10 h. This work presents the implementation of the conductive COF nanosheets for CO2 RR and provides a strategy to enhance energy conversion efficiency in electrocatalysis.