Issue 27, 2025

Reversible surface reconstruction of metal–organic frameworks for durable oxygen evolution reaction

Abstract

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are regarded as prospective electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Nevertheless, controllably reversible reconstruction of MOFs, yielding highly active catalytic sites for durable OER, has not been extensively studied. Herein, Ni-BPM (BPM = 4,4′-dihydroxybiphenyl-3,3′-dicarboxylic acid) equipped with open metal sites was selected as a potential electrocatalyst, and orientated MOF electrodes were fabricated via a sacrificial lattice-matched-template method. Surface reconstruction of Ni-BPM to active γ-NiOOH was detected during the OER, and reconstructed Ni-BPM can also be repaired in the reduction process, resulting in durable OER properties: continuous operation at 100 mA cm−2 for 130 h followed by another 70 h at 500 mA cm−2, surpassing those of most single Ni-based catalysts. The electronic configuration transformation of Ni sites at the interface of Ni-BPM and γ-NiOOH is confirmed using in situ Raman and X-ray absorption spectra together with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This work has investigated the reversible structural transformation of MOFs during the OER and thereby would help establish a theoretical foundation for the development of durable MOF electrocatalysts.

Graphical abstract: Reversible surface reconstruction of metal–organic frameworks for durable oxygen evolution reaction

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
04 Apr 2025
Accepted
30 May 2025
First published
11 Jun 2025
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2025,16, 12568-12576

Reversible surface reconstruction of metal–organic frameworks for durable oxygen evolution reaction

S. Li, Z. Zhou, J. Li, Y. Xiao, Y. Yuan, H. Zhu, F. Cui, X. Jing and G. Zhu, Chem. Sci., 2025, 16, 12568 DOI: 10.1039/D5SC02536B

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