Synthesis and characterization of lead-based metal-organic framework nano-needles for effective water splitting application

Ayman S Eliwa; Mahmoud A Hefnawy; Shymaa S Medany; Reem G Deghadi; Wafaa M Hosny; Gehad G Mohamed

doi:10.1038/s41598-023-39697-z

Synthesis and characterization of lead-based metal-organic framework nano-needles for effective water splitting application

Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 2;13(1):12531. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-39697-z.

Authors

Ayman S Eliwa¹, Mahmoud A Hefnawy², Shymaa S Medany¹, Reem G Deghadi¹, Wafaa M Hosny¹, Gehad G Mohamed^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
² Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt. Maahefnawy@gmail.com.
³ Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt. ggenidymohamed@sci.cu.edu.eg.
⁴ Nanoscience Department, Basic and Applied Sciences Institute, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology, Alexandria, Egypt. ggenidymohamed@sci.cu.edu.eg.

Abstract

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of porous materials characterized by robust linkages between organic ligands and metal ions. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) exhibit significant characteristics such as high porosity, extensive surface area, and exceptional chemical stability, provided the constituent components are meticulously selected. A metal-organic framework (MOF) containing lead and ligands derived from 4-aminobenzoic acid and 2-carboxybenzaldehyde has been synthesized using the sonochemical methodology. The crystals produced were subjected to various analytical techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and thermal analysis. The BET analysis yielded results indicating a surface area was found to be 1304.27 m² g^-1. The total pore volume was estimated as 2.13 cm³ g^-1 with an average pore size of 4.61 nm., rendering them highly advantageous for a diverse range of practical applications. The activity of the modified Pb-MOF electrode was employed toward water-splitting applications. The electrode reached the current density of 50 mA cm^-2 at an overpotential of - 0.6 V (vs. RHE) for hydrogen evolution, and 50 mA cm^-2 at an overpotential of 1.7 V (vs. RHE) for oxygen evolution.