In-situ generated Ni-MOF/LDH heterostructures with abundant phase interfaces for enhanced oxygen evolution reaction

Engineering the abundant phase interface in hybrid materials for high electrocatalytic activity is an effective strategy to enhance the electrochemical performance. In this work, Ni-MOF/Ox-MOF is constructed through the growth of MOF on MOF strategy. Following with in-situ conformal transformation in alkaline solutions, Ni-MOF/LDH heterostructures are fabricated, which exhibit excellent water oxidation activity owing to the high surface area of Ni-MOF substrate and the well-tailored phase interfaces. In addition, the high stability of Ni-MOF/LDH is demonstrated in a Zn-air battery. In-situ Raman technique identifies that the Ni centers are the true active sites during water oxidation. DFT calculations demonstrate that the charge transfer and the conductivity at the Ni-MOF/LDH interfaces is highly enhanced. This work provides an efficient method of fabricating MOF/LDH heterostructures with optimized phase interfaces and offers new insights into OER.

Automated summary

By engineering the abundant phase interface in hybrid materials, Ni-MOF/Ox-MOF is constructed and transformed into Ni-MOF/LDH heterostructures with excellent water oxidation activity. In-situ Raman technique identifies Ni centers as true active sites during water oxidation, while DFT calculations demonstrate enhanced charge transfer and conductivity at the Ni-MOF/LDH interfaces. This work provides an efficient method for fabricating MOF/LDH heterostructures with optimized phase interfaces and offers new insights into OER.