A Multifunctional Nickel-Based Metal–Organic Framework (MOF) for Hydrogen Production, Supercapacitors, and Electrocatalysis

Abstract

The nickel-derived metal–organic framework (MOF), Ni-BTB, synthesized from 4,4′,4″-benzene-1,3,5-tribenzoic acid (H3BTB), was investigated as a multifunctional platform for enhanced energy applications including production and storage. In catalytic hydrogen generation by NaBH4 hydrolysis, Ni-BTB attained a hydrogen generation rate (HGR) of 4640 mL H2/g•min with 1 mg of catalyst, with an activation energy of 76.44 kJ/mol. Under optimized reaction conditions (60 °C, 20 mg catalyst, and 1 g NaBH4), the HGR increased to 9542 mL H2/g•min, while exhibiting high recyclability throughout four successive cycles. As a supercapacitor electrode, Ni-BTB achieved a specific capacitance of 156 F/g at 1 A/g and showed remarkable cycling stability, maintaining its capacitance after 10,000 charge–discharge cycles. Furthermore, Ni-BTB exhibited exceptional electrocatalytic activity for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), requiring only 106 mV overpotential to achieve 10 mA/cm2, offering a time-of-flight (TOF) of 0.0585 s−1 and demonstrating significant operational longevity of at least 12 h. These findings underscore Ni-BTB as a durable, reusable, and adaptable material for hydrogen production, energy storage, and electrocatalytic applications.