Preparation of MOF(Fe) and its catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction in an alkaline electrolyte

Effective bifunctional catalysts play a vital role in large-scale commercial applications of rechargeable lithium-air batteries. In this article, a metal-organic framework, MOF(Fe), was prepared by a hydrothermal process using ferric nitrate as the metal ion precursor and trimesic acid as an organic ligand. The structure of the MOF(Fe) was characterized by X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption, Transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Thermo-gravimetric analysis. The activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the kinetic behavior of the ORR using the MOF(Fe) were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and rotating disk electrode voltammetry, respectively, using an alkaline electrolyte. The characterization results showed that the MOF(Fe) was highly crystalline with abundant micropores, large specific surface area and high thermal stability. The MOF(Fe) exhibited excellent catalytic activity for the ORR. The ORR mechanism varies with the applied potentials. The ORR occurs through a two-electron pathway at potentials in the range of −0.30 to −0.50 V, but shifts to four-electron pathway with the potentials in the range −0.50 to −0.95 V. In addition, the MOF(Fe) shows excellent catalytic activity for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in an alkaline electrolyte. This work opens a new route for the development of effective non-precious metal catalysts based on MOFs for the ORR and OER.