Immobilization of ferrocene and its derivatives within metal-organic frameworks with high loadings toward efficient...

The use of an appropriate preparation route is the key to immobilize active molecules into a host matrix with high loadings and stability. Herein, we demonstrate a simple and general strategy to immobilize ferrocene and its derivatives into ZIF-8 with high loadings of up to 4.3% Fe content. The unique host pore structure allows for the stabilization of guest molecules and effectively prevents their leaching. As a result, the obtained electrocatalysts exhibit competitive oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalytic performance. Optimized Fc-CHO/ZIF-8 requires only a low overpotential of 238 mV to achieve 10 mA cm^-2, along with a relatively small Tafel slope of 44.4 mV dec^-1. This performance is superior to that of commercial IrO₂, suggesting its potential application in electrochemical energy conversion.