MOG-derived porous FeCo/C nanocomposites as a potential platform for enhanced catalytic activity and lithium-ion batteries performance.

The transition metal alloy nanoparticles (NPs) have received significant attention because of their unique physicochemical properties as well as low cost. Herein, we report a facile and clean synthetic route to prepare porous FeCo/C bimetallic alloy nanocomposites by using metal-organic gels (MOGs) as precursors. The bimetallic MOGs based on iron and cobalt bridged by tri-carboxylate organic ligands were first synthesized by a general and fast solvothermal method. The desired FeCo/C nanocomposites were then obtained by a one-step annealing process in which MOGs served as both the precursor and the self-sacrificing template. Significantly, the as-synthesized FeCo/C nanocomposites exhibit excellent catalytic activity and lithium-ion batteries performance. This fast and clean synthetic strategy is extended to synthesis diversity and range of potential applications of porous carbon-coated transition-metal alloy nanocomposites.