Construction of a Cu-Based Metal–Organic Framework by Employing a Mixed-Ligand Strategy and Its Facile Conversion into Nanofibrous CuO for Electrochemical Energy Storage Applications

• Published in: Inorganic chemistry 2021-11, Vol.60 (22), p.16986-16995
• Main Authors: Rajak, Richa, Saraf, Mohit, Kumar, Praveen, Natarajan, Kaushik, Mobin, Shaikh M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0020-1669; 1520-510X
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.1c02062

Recently, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been widely employed as a sacrificial template for the construction of nanostructured materials for a range of applications including energy storage. Herein, we report a facile mixed-ligand strategy for the synthesis of a Cu-MOF, [Cu3(Azopy)3(BTTC)3(H2O)3·2H2O] n (where BTTC = 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic acid and Azopy = 4,4′-azopyridine), via a slow-diffusion method at room temperature. X-ray analysis authenticates the two-dimensional (2D)-layered framework of Cu-MOF. Topologically, this 2D-layered structure is assigned as a 4-connected unimodal net with sql topology. Further, nanostructured CuO is obtained via a simple precipitation method by employing Cu-MOF as a precursor. After analysis of their physicochemical properties through various techniques, both materials are used as surface modifiers of glassy carbon electrodes for a comparative electrochemical study. The results reveal a superior charge storage performance of CuO (244.2 F g–1 at a current density of 0.8 A g–1) with a high rate capability compared to Cu-MOF. This observation paves the pathway for the strategic design of high-performing supercapacitor electrode materials.