Fabrication of Magnetic Superstructure NiFe2O4@MOF-74 and Its Derivative for Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution with AC Magnetic Field

As an ideal hydrogen production route, electrolyzed water still faces the challenges of high cost of noble-metal electrocatalysts and low performance of non-noble-metal catalysts in scalable applications. Recently, introduction of external fields (such as magnetic fields, light fields, etc.) to improve the electrocatalytic water splitting performance of non-noble-metal catalysts has attracted great attention due to their simplicity. Here, a simple method for preparing magnetic superstructure (NiFe₂O₄@MOF-74) is described, and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) behavior of its carbonized derivative, a ferromagnetic superstructure, is revealed in a wide range of applied voltage under an AC magnetic field. The overpotential (@10 mA cm^-2) required for the HER of the obtained ferromagnetic superstructure in 1 M KOH was reduced by 31 mV (7.7%) when a much small AC magnetic field (only 2.3 mT) is applied. Surprisingly, the promotion effect of the AC magnetic field is not monotonically increasing with the increase of the applied voltage or the strength of AC magnetic field, but increasing first, then weakening. This unusual behavior is believed to be mainly caused by the enhanced induced electromotive force and the additional energy by the applied AC magnetic field. This discovery provides a new idea for adjusting the performance of electrocatalytic reactions.