# Revisiting MOF-Derived Single-Atom Electrocatalysts: Limitations, Characterizations, and Design Strategies

## TL;DR

This paper reviews the limitations and characterization challenges of MOF-derived single-atom electrocatalysts and proposes strategies to improve their performance and scalability.

## Contribution

The paper introduces new design strategies for MOF-derived single-atom electrocatalysts to preserve framework integrity and enhance catalytic performance.

## Key findings

- Current synthesis methods for MOF-derived SASs often compromise framework integrity due to destructive treatments.
- Framework-retaining strategies like ligand and defect engineering offer opportunities to maintain MOF advantages.
- Future directions emphasize dynamic structural reconstruction and operando validation for improved catalyst performance.

## Abstract

Single-atom sites
(SASs) and their electrocatalysts offer
outstanding
catalytic activity and metal efficiency. Metal–organic frameworks
(MOFs), with their tunable and multifunctional architectures, serve
as ideal precursors for SASs, enabling atomic-level dispersion. However,
current research often overlooks critical ambiguities in SAS definitions,
intrinsic limitations, and characterization reliability. Moreover,
prevalent destructive treatments, such as pyrolysis or sulfidation,
inevitably compromise framework integrity, raising concerns regarding
the trade-off between structural designability and conductivity. Accordingly,
this Mini-Review critically revisits MOF-derived SASs by scrutinizing
synthesis limitations and emphasizing the quantitative assessment
of atomic utilization efficiency. Representative examples of emerging
framework-retaining strategies, including ligand and defect engineering,
are discussed to illustrate opportunities for preserving MOF advantages.
Finally, future directions are proposed, focusing on dynamic structural
reconstruction and operando validation to simultaneously enhance activity,
stability, and scalability for practical energy conversion applications.