Regulating coordination environment in metal-organic Framework@Cuprous oxide Core-Shell catalyst for Promoting...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) show promise as oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts.
• However, MOFs often suffer from poor electroconductivity and limited structural stability.
• Developing robust and efficient MOF-based catalysts is crucial for energy applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel core-shell catalyst combining ZIF-67 and Cu2O for enhanced alkaline OER.
• To investigate the structural and electronic properties influencing the catalytic performance.
• To provide insights into designing advanced MOF-based heterogeneous catalysts.

Main Methods:

• In-situ growth of a mono-dispersed zeolitic imidazolate framework-67@cuprous oxide (ZIF-67@Cu2O) core-shell structure.
• Electrochemical characterization including overpotential, Tafel slope, and turnover frequency (TOF) measurements.
• Analysis of structural modifications and interfacial coordination changes.

Main Results:

• The ZIF-67@Cu2O catalyst exhibited excellent OER activity with a low overpotential (254 mV at 10 mA cm⁻²) and Tafel slope (87.9 mV·dec⁻¹).
• Achieved a high TOF of 0.166 s⁻¹ at 1.60 V vs. RHE and demonstrated remarkable stability for 160 hours at 100 mA cm⁻².
• The core-shell structure and Co-N2O2 interfacial coordination improved stability, charge transfer, and active site availability.

Conclusions:

• The ZIF-67@Cu2O core-shell catalyst offers superior performance for alkaline OER compared to traditional MOFs.
• The unique structure and optimized interfacial coordination are key to its enhanced electrocatalytic activity and durability.
• This work paves the way for designing advanced MOF-based nanomaterials for efficient heterogeneous catalysis.