Amorphous Metal–Organic Framework-Derived Electrocatalyst to Boost Water Oxidation

Amorphous metal–organic framework (MOF) materials have drawn extensive interest in the design of high-performance electrocatalysts for use in the electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction. However, there are limitations to the utilization of amorphous MOFs due to their low electrical conductivity and unsatisfactory stability. Herein, a novel amorphous–crystalline (AC) heterostructure is successfully constructed by synthesizing a crystalline metal sulfide (MS)-embedded amorphous Ni 0.67 Fe 0.33 -MOF, namely an MS/Ni 0.67 Fe 0.33 -MOF. It exhibits excellent catalytic performance (a low overpotential of 248 mV at 10 mA cm –2 with a small Tafel slope of 50 mV decade –1 ), durability, and stability (only 8% degradation of the current density at a constant voltage after 24 h). This work thus sheds light on the engineering of highly efficient catalysts with AC heterointerfaces for optimizing water-splitting systems.