A new type of catalyst for enhancing water decomposition capacity: MOFs-derived materials doped with citric acid

Abstract

Full-scale water electrolysis for hydrogen production represents a critical component of clean energy systems. This study introduces a novel MOFs-derived catalyst that achieves full water electrolysis performance comparable to commercial catalysts but at a significantly reduced cost, offering a promising alternative for hydrogen production via water electrolysis. The hydrothermal method was employed to incorporate citric acid into the ZIF8@ZIF67 metal-organic framework. Following carbonization, the resulting catalyst effectively exposed cobalt active sites and markedly enhanced the specific surface area. A thorough investigation was conducted into the structural features and electrocatalytic properties of the catalyst. The catalyst demonstrated superior oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activities, enabling highly efficient water electrolysis. At a current density of 10 mA cm⁻², the overpotential for OER was as low as 361 mV, while the HER overpotential was 168 mV. During overall water electrolysis, the catalyst achieved a voltage of 1.637 V, which is comparable to that of commercial catalysts (1.625 V).