Synthesis and characterization of lead-based metal-organic framework nano-needles for effective water splitting application.

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of porous materials characterized by robust linkages between organic ligands and metal ions. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) exhibit significant characteristics such as high porosity, extensive surface area, and exceptional chemical stability, provided the constituent components are meticulously selected. A metal-organic framework (MOF) containing lead and ligands derived from 4-aminobenzoic acid and 2-carboxybenzaldehyde has been synthesized using the sonochemical methodology. The crystals produced were subjected to various analytical techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and thermal analysis. The BET analysis yielded results indicating a surface area was found to be 1304.27 m g. The total pore volume was estimated as 2.13 cm g with an average pore size of 4.61 nm., rendering them highly advantageous for a diverse range of practical applications. The activity of the modified Pb-MOF electrode was employed toward water-splitting applications. The electrode reached the current density of 50 mA cm at an overpotential of - 0.6 V (vs. RHE) for hydrogen evolution, and 50 mA cm at an overpotential of 1.7 V (vs. RHE) for oxygen evolution.