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Review
. 2025 Apr 8;30(8):1656.
doi: 10.3390/molecules30081656.

Modern Catalytic Materials for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Michał Trębala  1 , Agata Łamacz  1
Affiliations
Review

Modern Catalytic Materials for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Michał Trębala et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) has, in recent years, attracted great interest from scientists because of its prime role in a number of renewable energy technologies. It is one of the reactions that occurs during hydrogen production through water splitting, is used in rechargeable metal-air batteries, and plays a fundamental role in regenerative fuel cells. Therefore, there is an emerging need to develop new, active, stable, and cost-effective materials for OER. This review presents the latest research on various groups of materials, showing their potential to be used as OER electrocatalysts, as well as their shortcomings. Particular attention has been paid to metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and their derivatives, as those materials offer coordinatively unsaturated sites, high density of transition metals, adjustable pore size, developed surface area, and the possibility to be modified and combined with other materials.

Keywords: metal–organic frameworks; noble metals; oxygen evolution reaction; transition oxide.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The mechanisms of OER (water oxidation reaction) under alkaline (a) or acidic conditions (b,c).
Figure 2
Figure 2
The number of papers published in recent years on OER and the use of MOF-based catalysts in this reaction.
Figure 3
Figure 3
An overview of MOF-based materials for the oxygen evolution reaction. Reprinted from [58] with permission from RSC.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Crystal structure of the UTSA-16 and (b) representative structures of Co4O4 cubane in the UTSA-16. Reprinted from [59] with permission from ACS.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Schematic diagram of the preparation of catalysts by plasma. Reprinted from [60] with permission from ACS.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Schematic illustration of the preparation steps and structural evolution of hierarchical 2D CoFe-MOFs based on ultrasound-assisted synthesis and following solvothermal treatment. I—Ultrasonic. II—Solvothermal. Reprinted from [68] with permission from ACS.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The scheme of formation of hierarchical (Ni2Co)1−xFex-MOF-NF at ambient temperature. Reprinted from [74] with permission from Wiley.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Schematic illustration of the synthetic route for NiMoO4/Ni-MOF/NF as OER catalyst. Reprinted from [81] with permission from Science Direct.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Schematic illustration of the synthetic process of V-Ni-MOF@FeOOH compounds. Reprinted from [84] with permission from RSC.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Schematic illustration of the fabrication process of MOF composite with graphene. Reprinted from [89] with permission from Science Direct.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Schematic illustrations of MOF-derived carbon matrices with morphology inherited from MOF precursors. (a) Zero-dimensional N-doped microporous carbon polyhedra. (b) Zero-dimensional hollow carbon spheres. (c) One-dimensional nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanowires. (d) One-dimensional nitrogen-doped porous carbon hollow tubules. (e) Two-dimensional nitrogen-doped carbon nanoplates. (f) Three-dimensional hierarchical nitrogen-doped porous carbon arrays. (g) Three-dimensional spherical superstructure of carbon nanorods. Reprinted from [98] with permission from RCS.
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