The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) plays a pivotal role in various renewable energy technologies. Thus, the development of efficient and stable electrocatalysts for OER is crucial. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are highly promising catalysts for OER owing to their fascinating physicochemical properties. However, there is hardly any systematic exploration of the synergistic correlation between experimental tests and theoretical calculations to study MOF-based OER catalysts. This review systematically explores the evaluation criteria of the OER performance of MOF-based catalysts based on integrated experimental characterization and theoretical calculations. Furthermore, the recent representative developments in MOF-based OER catalysts, including an analysis of the intrinsic mechanisms underlying their exceptional OER catalytic performance using experimental and theoretical assessment methods, are presented. Finally, the key challenges faced by MOF-based catalysts are outlined, and insights into their future research directions are provided. This study offers theoretical guidance and practical strategies for the design of efficient and stable MOF-based catalysts for OER.
Wang et al. (2026) studied this question.