Solvothermally designed Pr-MOF/Fe₂O₃ based nanocomposites for efficient electrocatalytic water splitting

To meet the energy demand of modern civilization, efforts to find renewable, safe, and highly effective fuel generation are still a big challenge. The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is one of many modern technologies for hydrogen generation, and a number of new electrode materials have been created to increase the effectiveness of O₂ evolution. This project utilizes a range of high performance nanomaterials, such as Pr-MOF, Fe₂O₃, and Pr-MOF/Fe₂O₃, to carry out the oxygen evolution reaction. This study shows that Pr-MOF/Fe₂O₃ exhibits exceptional electrocatalytic activity in alkaline solution with 238 mV overpotential at the current density of 10 mA cm^-2 and a Tafel slope of 37 mV dec^-1 which is much lower when compared to pure Pr-MOF and Fe₂O₃. The enhanced electrochemical results are due to the higher electrochemical surface area of 237 cm². This work will lay the foundation for an approach to enhance the crystalline nature of surface-active nanoparticles made from rare earth MOFs for a range of electrochemical energy applications.