An Efficient and Stable Electrocatalyst Derived from Ni−Mo−Co MOF for Methanol Oxidation Reaction

AbstractThe majority of methanol oxidation electrocatalysts are based on platinum‐group metals such as platinum, palladium, and ruthenium. However, their usage is restricted because of their high cost, scarcity, and carbon monoxide toxicity concerns. We devised a simple approach for preparing a nickel foam (NF) based electrode using in‐situ synthesis of metal organic framework, such as Co‐MOF/NF, Ni‐MOF/NF, Mo‐MOF/NF, NC‐MOF/NF, MC‐MOF/NF, NM‐MOF/NF, and NMC‐MOF/NF, as an efficient electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation to produce carbon dioxide and water. Catalysts were synthesized using a hydrothermal process. In methanol with alkaline electrolyte, the as‐prepared NMC‐MOF/NF catalysts had the highest current density response, such as 5641 mA/cm2, in contrast to other bimetallic and single metal‐based metal organic framework electrocatalysts supported on Ni foam. We also observed that the NMC‐MOF/NF could efficiently catalyze the oxidation of carbon monoxide while being relatively unaffected by it. After 20,000 seconds in methanol oxidation, NMC‐MOF/NF based electrode retained about 100 % of its initial activity. Following simple synthesis technique and the improved catalytic efficiency and stability of NMC‐MOF/NF, methanol can be used to generate energy‐efficient products such as hydrogen.