Rapid CO2 laser treatment of Pt–Fe MOF for efficient electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

The quest for efficient hydrogen production via electrochemical water splitting has led to extensive research on catalytic materials. This work focuses on enhancing the catalytic functionality of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) by incorporating platinum (Pt) to improve the performance of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Fe-based MOFs mixed with platinum precursors were altered through laser treatment, which caused considerable changes in their structure and catalytic activity in just 3 min. This was achieved without the need for vacuum or an inert atmosphere. Characterization techniques including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and electrochemical measurements were used to characterize the synthesized materials. The laser-treated Pt–Fe MOF demonstrated outstanding HER performance with 3.5 wt% Pt content, outperforming commercial 20 wt% Pt/C catalysts, and exhibiting good stability even after prolonged cycling. These results highlight the potential of laser-treated MOFs for efficient and cost-effective electrochemical hydrogen generation.