Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are considered
as promising
electrocatalytic materials for the carbon dioxide reduction reaction
(CO2RR) due to their various excellent properties. Here,
through multistep high-throughput screening of the Computation-Ready,
Experimental (CoRE) MOF database, including structural rationality
check, pore size screening, adsorption capacity prediction, open metal
site identification, CO2 molecular activation capacity,
and reaction path calculation, MOFs named GAFRUD, CAJQEL, and cg400449c
are identified as potential catalysts for electrocatalytic CO2RR. Furthermore, based on density functional theory calculations,
we propose that the polarity of the coordination bonds between the
metal atoms and the coordination atoms in ligands has a significant
impact on the activation of CO2 molecules, and the selectivity
of HCOOH mainly depends on the adsorption energy difference between
*HCOO and *COOH. This principle is further validated by the experimental
results, which will provide guidelines for the rational design of
MOF-based electrocatalysts for CO2RR.