Bimetal-anchored covalent organic frameworks derivatives for efficient alkaline electrolyte oxygen evolution

Developing non-precious metal electrocatalysts with stable and high activity toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is of great significance for efficient electrolysis of water for hydrogen production. Herein, we report an electrocatalyst derived from covalent organic frameworks (COFs) anchored by pyrolytically active bimetals (Fe/Co), in which COF-derived carbon is used as the support to anchor active bimetal Fe/Co nanoparticles. The porous and periodically structured COFs have great potential as active center carriers for electrocatalysts. Since Fe/Co ions are immobilized in the pore channels of the triazine-based Schiff base network (SNW-1), the aggregation and migration of Fe/Co ions effectively was prevented during pyrolysis. Importantly, the COF-derived catalyst possesses abundant nitrogen content, high micropore and mesopore volumes and good electrolyte permeability. As a result, the COF-derived catalyst displays excellent OER performance, with low overpotential (η10 = 288 mV) and Tafel slope (40 mV dec−1) in alkaline media, outperforming commercial RuO2 and most oxygen electrocatalysts. Moreover, the catalyst exhibited satisfactory stability. Thus, this work expands new horizons and pathways for the development of OER electrocatalysts based on COFs.