Amorphous conversion in pyrolytic symmetric trinuclear nickel clusters trigger trifunctional electrocatalysts

Abstract

The pursuit of multifunctional electrocatalysts holds significant importance due to their comprehension of material chemistry. Amorphous materials are particularly appealing, yet they pose challenges in terms of rational design due to their structural disorder and thermal instability. Herein, we propose a strategy that entails the tandem (low-temperature/250–350 °C) pyrolysis of molecular clusters, enabling preservation of the local short-range structures of the precursor Schiff base nickel (Ni₃[2(C₂₁H₂₄N₃Ni_1.5O₆)]). The temperature-dependent residuals demonstrate exceptional activity and stability for at least three distinct electrocatalytic processes, including the oxygen evolution reaction (η₁₀ = 197 mV), urea oxidation reaction (η₁₀ = 1.339 V), and methanol oxidation reaction (1358 mA cm⁻² at 0.56 V). Three distinct nickel atom motifs are discovered for three efficient electrocatalytic reactions (Ni1 and Ni1′ are preferred for UOR/MOR, while Ni2 is preferred for OER). Our discoveries pave the way for the potential development of multifunctional electrocatalysts through disordered engineering in molecular clusters under tandem pyrolysis.