Metal-organic frameworks derived interfacing Fe2O3/ZnCo2O4 multimetal oxides as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting

Abstract

Exploring highly effective, long-lasting, and earth-abundant catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is very important to improve the next-generation water-splitting process. Herein, we report the Fe2O3/ZnCo2O4 heterointerface nanocomposite derived from trimetallic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which has been considered a promising electrode catalyst material for overall water splitting, including bifunctional HER and OER performances. However, there is no study being reported yet on the Fe2O3/ZnCo2O4 polyhedron morphology for HER, OER, and overall water-splitting activities. The synergic effect or heterointerface engineering between the Fe2O3 and ZnCo2O4 is advantageous for improved active sites, effective charge transfer, and the long-term stability of the composite. This electrocatalyst shows enhanced HER and OER performances in terms of low overpotential of 44.8 mV and 212 mV to achieve a benchmark current density of 10 mAcm−2. Moreover, the two-electrode water electrolyzer can achieve a current density of 10 mAcm−2 at a small cell voltage of 1.44 V. Our findings in this study can motivate further research to focus on the MOFs-derived trimetallic metal oxide electrocatalysts for next-generation water-splitting devices.