Abstract The design of efficient, durable, and low-cost bifunctional electrocatalysts is essential in facilitating the refinement of sustainable hydrogen production via water splitting. In this study, a copper-based metal–organic framework (Cu-MOF) was synthesized through a solvothermal route and directly grown on a platinum electrode to construct a binder-free electrocatalyst designed to enable overall water splitting in alkaline solutions. FT-IR spectroscopy confirmed the bidentate coordination of carboxylate groups with Cu²⁺ ions, while PXRD patterns revealed high crystallinity. The Cu–O bond was detected at 673 cm⁻¹. BET analysis demonstrated a large featuring surface area of 195.97 m² g⁻¹ with a pore diameter of 2.886 nm, verifying its mesoporous nature. SEM and EDX analyses indicated uniformly distributed nanosheets (0.3039 nm) composed of C, O, and Cu, and TGA verified good thermal stability up to 264 °C. Electrochemical studies in 1.0 M NaOH showed outstanding catalytic activity, characterized by an overpotential of 245 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² and a Tafel slope of 331 mV dec⁻¹ during the hydrogen evolution reaction, following a Volmer–Tafel mechanism. For the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), the Cu-MOF/Pt electrode required an overpotential of 953 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² with a Tafel slope of 211 mV dec⁻¹. The catalyst maintained stable operational capability over 45,000 s, evidencing excellent durability. Overall, the synergistic combination of large active surface area, high porosity, and redox-active Cu sites endows the Cu-MOF/Pt electrode with superior bifunctional electrocatalytic performance, highlighting its potential as a promising platform for sustainable and scalable water-splitting applications.
Abdelwahab et al. (Thu,) studied this question.