Laser annealed Mn-doped NiCo-MOF derived bifunctional metal-carbon nanocomposite for efficient water splitting

The scalable and economical generation of hydrogen is the key to the future of renewable energy. However, the expensive cost of noble metals restricts the practicality of traditional catalysts, restricting their widespread deployment. This work presents strategic doping of multivalent Mn to NiCo-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as an innovative approach to achieve remarkable catalytic performance of the synthesized MOFs, followed by laser annealing to porous carbon frameworks incorporating trimetallic alloy. Manganese doping is crucial for optimizing electronic structure, improving charge transfer, and stabilizing active sites, consequently addressing the limitations of typical NiCo-based catalysts. Furthermore, laser-annealing improved the conductivity and stability of MOFs. The electrochemical characterization revealed that Mn-doped carbon-encapsulated NiCo alloy supported on Ni foam (Mn@BM-CF) acted as a highly active electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) and oxygen evolution reactions (OER) in alkaline solutions. The catalyst displayed excellent reaction kinetics at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² with a very low overpotential of 86 mV and a smaller Tafel slope of 89 mV dec⁻¹for HER, while the overpotential of only 220 mV and Tafel slope of 53 mV dec⁻¹for OER. This work illustrates a novel laser approach with targeted metal doping to develop efficient, durable, cost-effective electrocatalysts for green hydrogen production.