Unraveling the Role of Co-O-Ni motifs in MOF-derived CoNi-LDH for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a critical bottleneck in water splitting due to its sluggish kinetics. Herein, we developed a MOF-derived CoNi-LDH catalyst (MDCoNi-LDH) based on an in situ etching strategy. We demonstrate that the hierarchical architecture facilitates mass transfer, while the integration of Co-O-Ni motifs strengthens the Co-O bonding and optimizes the ratedetermining step (*OH → *O). Thus, the MDCoNi-LDH exhibits exceptional activity (1.51 V @ 10 mA cm -2 ) and robust stability (140 h @ 1.50 V). This work guides the design of hierarchical architecture catalysts and the catalytic role of M1-O-M2 motifs.