Graphene-MOF hybrids as strong contenders for next-generation oxygen electrocatalysts

ORR and OER are both slow, multi-electron processes, and the catalysts that currently perform them best rely on scarce, expensive noble metals – platinum for ORR, iridium and ruthenium oxides for OER. Replacing these with earth-abundant alternatives such as iron, cobalt, and nickel-based materials is seen as essential for scaling up green hydrogen production, long-duration energy storage, and zero-emission fuel cells, and graphene-MOF hybrids have emerged as one of the more promising routes to get there. Graphene contributes high electrical conductivity, a large surface area, and structural flexibility, while MOFs bring tunable porosity, abundant active sites, and a wide range of chemical functionalities – a combination the review frames as complementary rather than simply additive.

Researchers at Walter Sisulu University in South Africa have published a comprehensive review examining graphene-metal-organic framework (MOF) composites as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) – the two reactions that govern performance in fuel cells, metal-air batteries, and water electrolyzers.ORR and OER are both slow, multi-electron processes, and the catalysts that currently perform them best rely on scarce, expensive noble metals – platinum for ORR, iridium and ruthenium oxides for OER. Replacing these with earth-abundant alternatives such as iron, cobalt, and nickel-based materials is seen as essential for scaling up green hydrogen production, long-duration energy storage, and zero-emission fuel cells, and graphene-MOF hybrids have emerged as one of the more promising routes to get there. Graphene contributes high electrical conductivity, a large surface area, and structural flexibility, while MOFs bring tunable porosity, abundant active sites, and a wide range of chemical functionalities – a combination the review frames as complementary rather than simply additive.

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