A review on zinc-metal organic frameworks and their derived materials for metal-ion batteries: Fabrication, functional uses, and outlook

Abstract

With the rapid advancement of energy storage technologies, metal-ion batteries (MIBs) have emerged as a major research focus owing to their low cost, intrinsic safety, and environmental compatibility. Improving MIBs performance largely depends on the development and optimization of their key material components. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), as a new class of functional porous materials, offer attractive opportunities for designing high-performance electrode systems because of their tunable compositions, diverse architectures, and substantial porosity. Among transition-metal (TM)-based MOFs, Zinc-based MOFs (Zn-MOFs) have drawn particular attention due to their favorable physicochemical properties. This review provides a comprehensive summary of recent progress on Zn-MOFs and their derived composites for MIBs. It first outlines synthetic approaches for pristine Zn-MOFs and their derived materials, including porous carbons (PCs), transition metal oxides (TMOs), metal sulfides (TMSs), and metal selenides (TMSes). Subsequently, their applications in Li-, Na-, and K-ion batteries are examined. The major charge-storage behaviors and degradation mechanisms associated with these materials in MIB systems are also discussed. Finally, the review highlights prospects for industrial development, along with existing challenges and future research opportunities. © 2026 Elsevier B.V.