THQ - based Cu -MOFs for Electrocatalytic Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

The development of industrial and economical electrocatalysts through the transitional metals in the MOFs for the application of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) as one of water splitting reaction which is important for sustainable hydrogen production. In this study, a series of Co-doped Cu-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with varying Co concentrations (5–20%) were produced and used as electrocatalysts in alkaline media. Structural and spectroscopic analyses give surety for the successful fusion of Co into the Cu-THQ framework without affecting its crystallinity or morphology. Electrochemical studies reveal a high reliance on catalytic performance through Co content, with the CoCu-THQ (15%) sample exhibiting the best activity, achieving 157 mV as overpotential at 10 mA cm-2 with 77.97 mV dec-1 as Tafel slope. The emphasized performance is resultant in synergistic interactions between Cu and Co centres, with the increase of active sites form ECSA, and improved charge transfer characteristics, which together promote faster reaction kinetics. However, further increasing the Co content (20%) results in a decline in performance, highlighting the importance of compositional optimization. Additionally, the catalyst demonstrates excellent stability over extended electrochemical cycling.