A Comprehensive Review on Zinc‐Based MOFs and Their Derivatives for Alkali‐Ion Batteries: Synthesis, Applications, and Future Prospects

Abstract With the development of electrochemical energy conversion and storage, alkali‐ion batteries (AIBs) have become a popular research topic due to their cost‐effectiveness, high safety, and environmental friendliness. One strategy to optimize the efficiency of AIBs is to focus on the development and enhancement of their components. Metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs), as innovative functional materials, have offered great possibilities to investigate high‐performance electrode materials for AIBs with advantages including compositional designability, structural diversity, and high porosity. Among all kinds of transition‐metal‐based MOFs, zinc‐based MOFs (Zn‐MOFs) have garnered significant interest because of their superior physicochemical characteristics. Herein, this review summarizes the recent applications of Zn‐MOFs and their derivatives in AIBs. An overview of the synthesis strategies of pristine Zn‐MOFs and their derived porous carbon materials, metal oxides, metal sulfides, and metal selenides are presented. Then, their promising applications in AIBs, i.e., lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs), sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs), and potassium‐ion batteries (PIBs) are highlighted. Next, the paper summarizes the main charge‐storage mechanisms and degradation mechanisms of Zn‐MOFs and their derivatives when they are used in AIBs. Further, the research ideas on the future industrialization of Zn‐MOFs‐based materials are discussed. To close, the existing challenges and future opportunities are presented.