Strategic Insights into Perovskite-MOF Hybrids: Tailoring Photocatalysts for Sustainable Solutions

Photocatalysis, a revolutionary process harnessing the inexhaustible solar energy to drive chemical reactions, holds immense promise in addressing energy and environmental challenges in a sustainable manner. As a category of diversified semiconductor materials with unique structure and optoelectronic properties, perovskites have emerged as a new class of photocatalytic materials. However, they are still plagued with limitations, circulating over issues relating to instabilities. To address this, versatile and porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be combined with labile perovskites. This hybridization leverages the high light utilization of perovskites and the large surface area of MOFs, sparking significant interest in photocatalytic applications. The harmonious integration of perovskite and MOF mitigates individual shortcomings, yielding stable and highly active photocatalysts. Moreover, employing MOF hosts with diverse properties allows the incorporation of various functionalities into the composite material. This review comprehensively addresses the fundamental properties and intrinsic challenges of perovskites, followed by the introduction of MOFs as a promising solution. The synergistic benefits of hybridizing perovskites with MOFs are critically evaluated, particularly in terms of enhancing stability and photocatalytic performance, showcasing their potential to overcome existing limitations and expand practical applications. We then explore key design considerations and synthesis strategies, focusing on how they influence the resulting composite structures. The versatility of these hybrid materials is demonstrated through their current applications, ranging from pollutant degradation to energy generation. Furthermore, we address the prevailing challenges associated with perovskite/MOF composites and provide an outlook for future research, offering insights into their rational design to encourage further innovation in advanced photocatalysts. By synthesizing recent advancements, this review provides a timely overview of the field, with a particular focus on novel composite structures that have yet to be thoroughly explored in previous literature. • Perovskite/MOF composites exhibit improved stability and optoelectronic properties. • Key strategies for optimizing perovskite/MOF composites are discussed. • Perovskite/MOF composites are customizable for specific photocatalytic applications. • Challenges of perovskite/MOF hybrids are assessed with future work recommendations.