Synthesis of multilayered transition metal MOF/Ni₃N/NF composites for efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Electrochemical water splitting (EWS) for hydrogen production exhibits high-efficiency and cleanliness, making it promising solution to the energy problem and attracting widespread attention. However, the electrocatalytic efficiency is currently restricted by the four-electron transfer kinetics in oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Therefore, developing high-performance catalyst materials holds the key to addressing this limitation. The Ni₃N and Materials of Institute Lavoisior frameworks-53 (MIL-53) series metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising OER catalysts with excellent electrocatalytic performance, low cost, and environmental friendliness. In this research, we synthesized multilayered polymetallic MOF/Ni₃N/NF electrodes with superhydrophilic/superaerophobic properties and impressive OER performances by a simple and cost-effective method. The synergistic effect of the multilayered structure enables rapid electron transfer, while more catalytically active sites were exposed by the growth of polymetallic MOFs. The resulting polymetallic NiFeCoCu-MOF/Ni₃N/NF electrodes show a low overpotential of 235 mV when the current density is 10 mA cm⁻². This work provides a novel research approach for fabricating multilayered electrodes combined with transition metal nitrides and metal-organic frameworks materials, emphasizing their significant potential in the field of electrocatalysis.