Lanthanide‐Based Metal–Organic Frameworks for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

ABSTRACT

Hydrogen has emerged as one of the most promising alternatives to fossil fuels, while electrochemical water splitting has attracted considerable attention as a sustainable and environmentally friendly strategy for green hydrogen production. In this process, efficient electrocatalysts are essential to accelerate the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), reducing energy consumption and improving hydrogen production efficiency. Among various porous materials, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have become highly attractive HER electrocatalysts. In particular, lanthanide‐based MOFs (Ln‐MOFs) have recently gained increasing interest because of their unique electronic structures associated with localized 4f orbitals, large coordination numbers, tunable porosity, excellent stability, and highly flexible coordination environments. These characteristics enable modulation of active‐site accessibility, hydrogen adsorption energetics, and interfacial charge‐transfer behavior, making Ln‐MOFs highly promising platforms for advanced HER electrocatalysis under acidic and alkaline conditions. This review comprehensively discusses recent advances in Ln‐MOF‐based electrocatalysts for HER applications, including their structural characteristics, catalytic mechanisms, electrocatalytic performance, and structure–activity relationships. Various strategies for enhancing HER activity and major challenges associated with Ln‐MOF synthesis and practical HER implementation are also described. Finally, future perspectives and research directions are proposed to guide the rational design of Ln‐MOF‐based HER electrocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production and carbon‐neutral energy technologies.