Catalytically active silver nanoparticles stabilized on a thiol-functionalized metal-organic framework for an...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Catalysis

Background:

• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer tunable properties for catalysis.
• Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are promising electrocatalysts.
• Developing efficient and stable catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial for renewable energy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize thiol-functionalized NU-1000 MOF.
• To grow silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on the functionalized MOF for HER.
• To evaluate the catalytic performance and stability of the composite material.

Main Methods:

• Solvent Assisted Ligand Incorporation (SALI) for MOF functionalization.
• Coordination of Ag(I) complex and subsequent reduction for Ag NP synthesis.
• X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for elemental analysis.
• Electrochemical measurements (overpotential, Tafel slope) for HER activity assessment.

Main Results:

• Successful thiol functionalization of zirconium-based MOF NU-1000.
• Controlled growth of Ag NPs on the MOF support.
• Optimal HER activity achieved with ~95% Ag(0) content, showing an overpotential of 165 mV and Tafel slope of 53 mV dec⁻¹.
• Catalyst demonstrated good static stability over 24 hours.

Conclusions:

• Ag NPs embedded onto thiol-functionalized MOF (NU-1000) are effective HER catalysts.
• Catalyst performance is sensitive to Ag loading, with aggregation negatively impacting efficiency.
• The developed material shows potential for clean and renewable energy applications.