Phosphorus-Doped directly interconnected networks of amorphous Metal-Organic framework nanowires for efficient methanol oxidation

Abstract

Developing high-performance and low-cost electrocatalysts toward methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) is essential for fuel cell applications. Herein, we report a defect engineering strategy integrating amorphization and phosphorization to construct directly interconnected networks of amorphous NiCo-based metal–organic framework nanowires (a-NiCo-MOFNWs) with phosphorus (P) doping. The resulting P-doped a-NiCo-MOFNWs (a-NiCo-MOFNWs-P) network displays superior MOR efficiency and long-term durability over 1000 cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements. The special structure of directly interconnected networks and the synergistic effect between the amorphous MOFs and dispersed phosphorus species give rise to abundant exposed active sites, accelerated electron transport, and increased porosity for mass transfer, thus boosting the reaction kinetics of MOR. This work provides additional insights into the network assembly and structural evolution of one-dimensional (1D) MOFs, and also opens up new avenues for the design of highly reactive and robust non-precious metal-based electrocatalysts.