Metal-Organic-Frameworks and their derived materials in Photo-Thermal Catalysis

The direct utilization of light to drive chemical reactions has been considered a promising approach to decarbonizing the chemical industry and storing solar energy in the form of chemical bonds. In this regard, photo-thermal catalysis has emerged as a bright strategy due to the combination of thermal and non-thermal contributions of sunlight. This enables the whole exploitation of the solar spectrum providing localized heating and thus an enhancement in the productivity rates. In this scenario, MOFs and MOFs-derived materials offer great opportunities for the rational design of new photo-thermal catalysts. In this review, we describe the different types of photo-thermal systems, with a particular consideration on the mechanisms. Further, we describe the recent advances of MOF and MOF-derived materials as photo-thermal catalysts for different catalytic reactions, including organic transformations, pollutant degradation or CO2 hydrogenations. Lastly, we present our opinion on the future challenges and perspectives in the field.