Nanoporous Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Oxide/Nickel Sulfide Composite Sheets Derived from a Metal-Organic Framework as Efficient Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen and Oxygen Evolution

We report the rational design and in situ synthesis of hierarchical porous nanocomposite sheets of nitrogen-doped graphene oxide (NGO) and nickel sulfide (Ni₇S₆) derived from a hybrid of a well-known nickel-based metal-organic framework (NiMOF-74) using thiourea as a sulfur source. The nanoporous NGO/MOF composite was prepared through a solvothermal process in which Ni(II) metal centers of the MOF structure were chelated with nitrogen and oxygen functional groups of NGO. NGO/Ni₇S₆ exhibits bifunctional activity, capable of catalyzing both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with excellent stability in alkaline electrolytes, due to its high surface area, high pore volume, and tailored reaction interface enabling the availability of active nickel sites, mass transport, and gas release. Depending on the nitrogen doping level, the properties of graphene oxide can be tuned towards, e.g., enhanced stability of the composite compared to commonly used RuO₂ under OER conditions. Hence, this work opens the doors for the development of effective OER/HER electrocatalysts based on hierarchical porous graphene oxide composites with metal chalcogenides, which may replace expensive commercial catalysts such as RuO₂ and IrO₂.

K. Jayaramulu, J. Masa, O. Tomanec, D. Peeters, V. Ranc, A. Schneemann, R.Zbroil, W. Schumann and R. A. Fischer. (Accepted in Adv. Funct. Mat. adfm.201700451)