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<i>In Situ</i> Design of a Nanostructured Interface between NiMo and CuO Derived from Metal–Organic Framework for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution in Alkaline Solutions
Hydrogen shows great
promise as a carbon-neutral energy
carrier
that can significantly mitigate global energy challenges, offering
a sustainable solution. Exploring catalysts that are highly efficient,
cost-effective, and stable for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER)
holds crucial importance. For this, metal–organic framework
(MOF) materials have demonstrated extensive applicability as either
a heterogeneous catalyst or catalyst precursor. Herein, a nanostructured
interface between NiMo/CuO@C derived from Cu-MOF was designed and
developed on nickel foam (NF) as a competent HER electrocatalyst in
alkaline media. The catalyst exhibited a low overpotential of 85 mV
at 10 mA cm–2 that rivals that of Pt/C (83 mV @
10 mA cm–2). Moreover, the catalyst’s durability
was measured through chronopotentiometry at a constant current density
of −30, −100, and −200 mA cm–2 for 50 h each in 1.0 M KOH. Such enhanced electrocatalytic performance
could be ascribed to the presence of highly conductive C and Cu species,
the facilitated electron transfer between the components because of
the nanostructured interface, and abundant active sites as a result
of multiple oxidation states. The existence of an ionized oxygen vacancy
(Ov) signal was confirmed in all heat-treated samples through
electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis. This revelation sheds
light on the entrapment of electrons in various environments, primarily
associated with the underlying defect structures, particularly vacancies.
These trapped electrons play a crucial role in augmenting electron
conductivity, thereby contributing to an elevated HER performance