Multi-Active Sites Loaded NiCu-MOF@MWCNTs as a Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Electrochemical Water Splitting Reaction

Water can be sustainably and ecologically converted by electrocatalysts into hydrogen and oxygen, which, in turn, can be converted into energy. However, the advancement of using water as green energy is hampered by limitations in the study of high-performance catalysts. The purpose of this study was to construct an electrocatalyst by anchoring well-dispersed multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on nickel–copper (NiCu-MOF) nanoblocks through a simple solvothermal method. The synthesis of NiCu-MOF@MWCNTs demonstrated exceptional electrocatalytic performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in an alkaline medium. At 10 mA cm–2 in 1.0 M KOH, the OER and HER performance of the catalyst displays a relatively low overpotential, with only 220 and 78 mV, respectively. Furthermore, the catalytic activity remained unchanged for 24 h in 1.0 M KOH. This performance was superior to the majority of electrocatalysts that have been reported. This was achieved by utilizing the strong synergy that exists between MWCNTs and bimetallic (Ni–Cu) nano blocks present in the metal–organic framework. The enhanced electrocatalytic activity of the nanocomposite can be attributed to the synergistic impact caused by its various components.