Interdiffusion Reaction-Assisted Hybridization of Two-Dimensional Metal-Organic Frameworks and Ti₃C₂T_x Nanosheets for Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution

Two-dimensional (2D) metal-organic framework (MOF) nanosheets have been recently regarded as the model electrocatalysts due to their porous structure, fast mass and ion transfer through the thickness, and large portion of exposed active metal centers. Combining them with electrically conductive 2D nanosheets is anticipated to achieve further improved performance in electrocatalysis. In this work, we in situ hybridized 2D cobalt 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate (CoBDC) with Ti₃C₂T_x (the MXene phase) nanosheets via an interdiffusion reaction-assisted process. The resulting hybrid material was applied in the oxygen evolution reaction and achieved a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 at a potential of 1.64 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode and a Tafel slope of 48.2 mV dec^-1 in 0.1 M KOH. These results outperform those obtained by the standard IrO₂-based catalyst and are comparable with or even better than those achieved by the previously reported state-of-the-art transition-metal-based catalysts. While the CoBDC layer provided the highly porous structure and large active surface area, the electrically conductive and hydrophilic Ti₃C₂T_x nanosheets enabled the rapid charge and ion transfer across the well-defined Ti₃C₂T_x-CoBDC interface and facilitated the access of aqueous electrolyte to the catalytically active CoBDC surfaces. The hybrid nanosheets were further fabricated into an air cathode for a rechargeable zinc-air battery, which was successfully used to power a light-emitting diode. We believe that the in situ hybridization of MXenes and 2D MOFs with interface control will provide more opportunities for their use in energy-based applications.