Electronic structure engineering on Co-based metal-organic frameworks for concurrent electrocatalytic hydrogen generation and formate electrosynthesis

A facile one-step solvothermal method was developed to synthesize Ir-doped Co-based metal-organic framework (CoIr-MOF) nanoarrays as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for water-glucose co-electrolysis. It was demonstrated that in situ incorporation of a low-content of Ir cations could modulate the electronic structure of Co active centers and thus boost the electrocatalytic performance towards both the hydrogen evolution reaction and glucose-to-formate oxidation reaction. Electronic structure engineering of Co-based metal-organic frameworks via in situ incorporation of Ir cations could afford enhanced electrocatalytic performance for both hydrogen evolution and glucose-to-formate oxidation.