Ru-anchoring Co-MOF-derived porous Ru-Co3O4 nanomaterials for enhanced oxygen evolution activity and structural stability

Abstract

Electrocatalytic water electrolysis is intrinsically limited by the slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anodic electrode. Building on our previous work, we utilized a porous metal–organic framework (CoOF-1) structurally characterized by rich adsorption sites for Ru(III) ions. In this study, the incorporation of noble metal species into the CoOF-1-derived porous Co₃O₄ matrix effectively improves electrocatalytic OER performance. The optimized Ru-Co₃O₄-5 exhibits an overpotential of 260 mV at 10 mA cm⁻², a Tafel slope of 84 mV dec⁻¹, and a satisfactory current retention of 95.8% over 20 hours. This enhanced OER activity results from the introduction of Ru to modulate the surface electron distribution as well as the large specific surface area. Furthermore, both the in situ Raman test and XPS analysis confirm the robust structural stability of Ru-Co₃O₄. This study provides a new approach for MOF-derived porous ruthenium-doped Co₃O₄ nanomaterials with high activity and durability, showcasing great potential in the field of practical energy storage and conversion.