ABSTRACT
The development of renewable and sustainable energy sources has been recognized as a key solution to the unsustainable use of fossil fuels and their detrimental effect on the environment. Energy sources such as solar and wind offer clean and renewable alternatives. However, there are significant challenges of energy conversion and storage in the use of such energy sources. Supercapacitors are considered as potential electrochemical energy storage devices that can address these challenges. An important consideration in developing supercapacitors is the selection of electrode materials. Here, we review the use of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to develop electrode for supercapacitors. We discussed the fundamentals and advances in the development of supercapacitors as energy storage devices. We presented the fundamentals of MOFs, highlighting their unique features that could be exploited in the development of electrode for supercapacitors. Subsequently, we reviewed the application of MOFs in supercapacitors. The discussion covers the use of pristine MOFs and their composites such as MOFs-metal oxides, MOFs-graphene oxide, MOFs-carbon nanotubes and MOFs-conducting polymers. We noted the significant increase in the use of MOFs-composites and MOFs-derived advanced materials as electrodes in supercapacitors. MOF-based electrodes exhibit excellent specific capacitance (up to 2291 F/g), specific energy (up to 90 W h/kg) specific power (up to 9000 W/kg) and cyclic stability (more than 90%). With increasing research in their applications, MOFs-based materials will indeed accelerate the development of supercapacitors.
