Applications of metal-organic frameworks featuring multi-functional sites

•Strategies developed thus far to include MFSs within a single MOF system are summarized.•The applications of MFS–MOFs for catalysis, gas adsorption/separation, optics, and proton-conductivity are reviewed.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a class of porous materials bring great promise for a diverse array of applications ranging from gas storage and separation to heterogeneous catalysis. The ability to incorporate multiple functional sites into a single system enhances the interest seen in MOFs. The solid, well-defined nature of MOFs allow for the engineering of materials capable of performing multiple functions through multiple independent processes or cooperative and synergetic interactions or pathways. In this review, we aim to encompass and summarize research that introduces techniques and strategies to incorporate multiple functional sites within a single MOF system, highlight exceptional examples of work that exploits MFS–MOFs to perform noteworthy processes, and give direction to further enhance our ability to move MFS–MOFs forward in a way that addresses current problems faced by our society.

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