Synthesis of Mn loaded FeCo-MOF and its composites with reduced graphene oxide as highly efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution and reduction reactions in metal-air batteries

In response to the escalating environmental impact of fossil fuels, there's a growing demand for clean energy solutions, particularly efficient metal-air batteries. Metal-air batteries are promising for energy storage, boasting abundant materials and low cost. However, their efficiency is hindered by slow oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. Synthesizing effective and stable oxygen electrocatalysts is crucial for enhancing battery performance. Here, this work used a simple solvothermal method to synthesize Iron–Cobalt metal-organic framework (FeCo-MOF), Manganese–Iron–Cobalt metal-organic framework (MnFeCo-MOF), and their composites with (1, 3, and 5) wt% rGO and characterized via using XRD, SEM, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy. Electrochemical testing was conducted in 1 M KOH solution for both OER and ORR. The 3 wt% rGO MnFeCo-MOF shown the lowest overpotential of 54 mV at 10 mA/cm2 and the lowest Tafel slope of 63.4 mV/dec, with highest current density of 79.42 mA/cm2 at 25 mV/s scan rate for OER indicating excellent electrocatalytic activity superior to already reported in literature due to synergistic effect of Mn, Fe, Co, and rGO facilitating rapid electron transfer and more active sites. The 3 wt% rGO MnFeCo-MOF exhibited the halfwave potential of 0.74 V for ORR showing excellent activity comparable to commercial catalysts Pt/C. The lower potential gap ΔE 0.66 V from the overall combined plot of OER/ORR shows efficient and stable bifunctional activity of the 3 wt% rGO MnFeCo-MOF. These exceptional electrocatalytic properties pave the way for future advancements in metal-air batteries.