Delaminated Vanadium Carbide MXene Supported Two-Dimensional\n(2D) CoNH<sub>2</sub>BDC MOF Hybrid for Enhanced Water Splitting

Water splitting has been regarded\nas one of the most favorable\npractices in sustainable energy production technologies. Metal organic\nframeworks (MOFs) have been recognized as potent candidates as electrocatalysts\ndue to their high porosity, faster charge transfer, tunable structure,\nand large surface area. MOFs with electrically conductive 2D MXene\nnanosheets can significantly result in enhanced electrocatalytic activity\nfor both the OER and HER. In this work, cobalt aminoterephthalic acid\nMOF (CoNH<sub>2</sub>BDC) was combined with vanadium carbide (V<sub>2</sub>C) MXene via a one-step solvothermal reaction strategy. Credit\ngoes to the high porosity and large surface area of CoNH<sub>2</sub>BDC; high electrical conductivity and hydrophilicity of V<sub>2</sub>C for enhanced electrocatalytic activity of CoNH<sub>2</sub>BDC/V<sub>2</sub>C, and faster charge transfer across the CoNH<sub>2</sub>BDC-V<sub>2</sub>C interface. Among the series of catalysts with varying ratios\nof V<sub>2</sub>C and MOF, the catalyst that showed best OER and HER\nactivity in alkaline medium was CoNBDC/VC3, it attained a current\ndensity of 10 mA cm<sup>–2</sup> at 145 mV for OER and 102\nmV Vs. RHE for HER, and a Tafel slope value of 50 mV/dec for OER and\n55 mV/dec for HER. We believe that this work is demonstration of highly\nefficient electrocatalytic performance and construction of such hybrid\nmaterials can pave new pathways with regard to developing efficient\nelectrocatalysts for green energy production.