Efficient alcohol electro-oxidation based on a 3D Ni(II)-MOF with centrosymmetric Ni6 cluster

Designing economical and efficient anode catalysts is critical for the commercial use of direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs). In this work, a novel Ni(II)-based metal-organic framework (MOF), {[Ni3(mu 3-OH)(TMBTI)(1,4-bib) (H3O)}n (H6TMBTI = 2,4,6-trimethylbenzene-1,3,5-triylisophthalate, 1,4-bib = 1,4-bis(1-imidazoly)benzene) (CTGU-38, CTGU = China Three Gorges University), was successfully synthesized through solvothermal method. Structural analyses reveal that the CTGU-38 possesses a unique Ni6(mu 3-OH)2(COO)12 cluster and 3D porous framework with a rare (6,16)-connected topology. Further electrochemical experiments demonstrate that the CTGU-38 exhibits good electrocatalytic oxidation performance towards various alcohol fuel molecules, including the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR), ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR), n-propanol oxidation reaction (NPOR), and isopropanol oxidation reaction (IPOR), with peak current densities ranging from 26.9 to 54.46 mA cm-2 in alkaline solution. These results indicate that the CTGU-38 appears to be a potential non-noble metal based electrocatalyst for DAFCs, and this work provides new insights into the design of more efficient electrocatalysts at the atomic scale for energy conversion.

Automated summary

In this study, a novel Ni(II)-based metal-organic framework with good electrocatalytic oxidation performance was successfully synthesized, showing potential for direct alcohol fuel cells.