A novel one-dimensional Co-phenylmercaptotetrazole MOF templated fabrication of N, S co-doped Co₉S₈@NSC porous nanotubes for oxygen evolution reaction

In this work, we report a novel one-dimensional metal-organic framework (MOF) templated for the synthesis of transition metal sulfides with excellent oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance via a self-sulfidation process, eliminating the need for additional sulfur sources. After pyrolysis, MOFs containing Co ions as the metal nodes and 1-phenyl-5-mercaptotetrazole (PMTA) as the ligand were transformed to Co₉S₈ nanoparticles, which were encapsulated in a nitrogen and sulfur dual-doped carbon (Co₉S₈@NSC) matrix. Additionally, PMTA, as a ligand, possesses the unique advantage of forming porous coordination polymers with a wide range of metals (e.g., Fe, Ni, and Cu), enabling the versatile synthesis of transition metal sulfide electrocatalysts. Consequently, when served as the electrocatalyst for OER, the N, S co-doped Co₉S₈@NSC porous nanotubes exhibited excellent OER performance with the overpotential of only 248 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² and long-term stability. These works provide new insights and inspiration for the rational design and development of non-precious metal-based sulfides with practical potential applications.