Ultrathin Fe-MOFs modified by Fe₉S₁₀ for highly efficient oxygen evolution reaction

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Developing efficient and economical catalysts is crucial for water splitting.
• Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) show promise but suffer from poor conductivity, limiting their application.
• Transition metal sulfides (TMS) can enhance MOF conductivity and catalytic activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct a novel composite catalyst combining Fe-MOF and Fe9S10 for enhanced water splitting.
• To investigate the synergistic effects of MOF and TMS in the composite catalyst.
• To evaluate the electrocatalytic performance of the composite for oxygen evolution reactions (OER).

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a 2D ultrathin Fe-MOF structure.
• Introduction of dendritic Fe9S10 onto the Fe-MOF surface to create the Fe9S10/Fe-MOF/NF-2 composite.
• Electrochemical characterization of the composite catalyst in alkaline solution and simulated seawater.

Main Results:

• The Fe9S10/Fe-MOF/NF-2 composite exhibited superior catalytic performance compared to bare Fe-MOFs and Fe9S10.
• Low overpotentials of 202 mV (alkaline) and 216 mV (seawater) were achieved at 10 mA cm-2 for OER.
• The composite effectively leveraged the advantages of both MOF and TMS components.

Conclusions:

• The developed hybrid catalyst demonstrates a promising approach for modifying MOFs into efficient electrocatalysts.
• The composite catalyst shows potential for practical applications in water splitting and OER.
• This work offers an innovative strategy for designing advanced catalysts by integrating MOFs and TMS.