Thermocatalytic Functionality of Zinc‐Organic Frameworks in Carbon Dioxide Conversion to Value‐Added Chemicals: Current Status and Future Scope

Abstract The increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentrations is driven by industrialization and population growth. This escalation has made CO 2 mitigation an urgent global challenge. Among the most promising strategies to reduce CO 2 emissions is the catalytic conversion of CO 2 into value‐added chemicals. The persistent increase in atmospheric CO 2 concentrations, driven by industrialization and population growth, has made carbon mitigation an urgent global challenge. Among the most promising strategies to mitigate CO 2 emissions is the catalytic conversion of CO 2 into value‐added chemicals. Metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted significant attention for their ability to capture and convert CO 2 with high efficiency. Despite their outstanding efficacy, the scalability and chemical stability of MOFs remain challenging. Zinc‐based MOFs exhibit notable chemical stability, attributed to the strong metal‐ligand interactions stemming from zinc's borderline behavior under the hard‐soft acid‐base principle. Zinc‐based MOFs are the first reported and also the earliest employed for CO 2 conversion applications. This review discusses the advancements and achievements of Zn‐MOFs in CO 2 conversion, underlining their roles in producing cyclic carbonates, oxazolidines, N‐formylated compounds, and carboxylic acids. Although Zn‐MOFs have shown excellent catalytic activity under controlled laboratory conditions, real‐world applications require their evaluation under mixed gas streams, moisture, and elevated temperatures.