Ferrocene-modified covalent organic framework for efficient oxygen evolution reaction and CO₂ electroreduction

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Developing efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for energy conversion technologies.
• Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) offer tunable structures for catalytic applications.
• Ferrocene and metalloporphyrin moieties can enhance catalytic activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and investigate a ferrocene-modified COF (Ni-Tph-COF-Fc) for electrocatalytic applications.
• To evaluate the performance of Ni-Tph-COF-Fc in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR).
• To understand the synergistic effects of ferrocene and metalloporphyrin in the COF structure on catalytic activity.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of Ni-Tph-COF-Fc and Ni-Tph-COF-OH.
• Electrochemical characterization of catalytic performance for OER and CO2RR.
• Analysis of Tafel slopes and current densities to assess catalytic efficiency.

Main Results:

• Ni-Tph-COF-Fc demonstrated superior OER performance compared to Ni-Tph-COF-OH.
• Achieved a current density of 99.6 mA cm⁻² and an overpotential of 450 mV for OER.
• Showcased enhanced CO2RR performance with a Faradaic efficiency for CO (FECO) of 93.1%.

Conclusions:

• The synergistic effect between ferrocene and metalloporphyrin in Ni-Tph-COF-Fc significantly enhances OER activity.
• The improved OER performance positively impacts CO2RR efficiency.
• This study presents an effective strategy for designing advanced COFs for efficient electrocatalysis and CO2 utilization.