Co-Based Amorphous Layered Metal–Organic Frameworks: An Efficient Bifunctional Catalyst for Water Electrolysis

The pursuit of efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts for hydrogen production via water splitting remains a significant challenge. Herein, a unique layered amorphous metal–organic frameworks, designated as Co-HAB, is introduced. When utilized in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction, this Co-HAB-based electrocatalyst demonstrates superior activity and stability. Employing a mixture of Co-HAB and carbon black (Co-HAB-C) as both cathode and anode electrocatalysts in a 1 m potassium hydroxide electrolyte, the cell exhibits a voltage of merely 1.552 V and attains a current density of 10 mA cm −2 , which is suitable for hydrogen generation. Furthermore, density functional theory computations indicate that the modest OH* adsorption capability at the catalytic site plays a pivotal role in enhancing the OER catalytic efficiency, as confirmed by alcohol molecular probe tests.