Environmental-assisted simple synthesis and electrocatalytic performance of Ni-MOF nanorods

It is a tough job for the fabrication of metal phosphonate (MP) products with desired morphologies due to their uncontrolled precipitation reactions between metal ions and phosphonic acids in solution. However, the fabrication of MP nanomaterial with unique controlled morphologies is desired for numerous potential applications due to their exceptional properties. We report the facile and rapid synthesis of very uniform one-dimensional (1D) nickel phenylphosphonate (NiPP) nanorods without the use of any templates through an inexpensive solutionphase method. For the first time, the formation mechanism of NiPP with 1-D nanostructure is systematically investigated using a series of experiment conditions. The present investigation is extremely important and has never been systematically investigated in the literature. The as-prepared NiPP nanorods are further utilized as electrocatalyst for the oxidation of glucose and methanol.

Automated summary

The fabrication of metal phosphonate (MP) products with desired morphologies is challenging due to uncontrolled precipitation reactions. However, the fabrication of MP nanomaterial with controlled morphologies is important for potential applications. We report the synthesis of uniform one-dimensional (1D) nickel phenylphosphonate (NiPP) nanorods without templates. The formation mechanism of NiPP with 1-D nanostructure is systematically investigated for the first time. The prepared NiPP nanorods are further used as electrocatalysts.