A chemically robust SIFSIX MOF as electrocatalyst in alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER)

Abstract

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising materials for electrocatalysis reactions due to their wide range of structural variability and numerous superior qualities. Although significant concern lies in their chemical stability, exploring SIFSIX MOFs (a special class of MOF material) in this direction is largely unexplored and is of considerable interest. Herein, we have strategically designed and developed a highly chemically robust and rare type of SIFSIX MOF, SiF₆@MOF-1, in which SIFSIX moieties are floating inside the pore cavities and employed for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in an alkaline medium for the first time. Interestingly, SiF₆@MOF-1 exhibited an outstanding electrocatalytic performance for HER with only ∼148 mV overpotential to reach a current density of 10 mA cm⁻². An in-depth post-HER measurement demonstrates the framework's robustness throughout the electrocatalysis reactions and makes the developed material promising in this direction. This study inaugurates a new avenue for SIFSIX MOFs to explore HER electrocatalysis reaction and elucidate the effectivity of MOF material for electrocatalysis reaction.