The
development of an active and efficient electrocatalyst for
the oxygen evolution reaction remains indispensable for the smooth
running of an electrolyzer. Herein, we have synthesized two cobalt
metal–organic frameworks (Co-MOFs) with the formulas [C6H6CoN2O4] (compound 1) and [C12H10CoN2O4] (compound 2) using pyrazine and 4,4′-bipyridine
as linkers in dimethylformamide medium by a solvothermal method. Both
Co-MOFs shows strong antiferromagnetic interactions with Θp = −70 and −61 K for compounds 1 and 2, respectively. The in situ transformation of
both compounds catalyzes the OER efficiently in alkaline medium, affording
a current density of 10 mA/cm2 at overpotentials of 276
± 3 and 302 ± 3 mV by compounds 1 and 2, respectively. Moreover, compound 1 shows a
very high turnover frequency (15.087 s–1), lower
Tafel slope (56 mV/dec), and greater Faradaic efficiency of 95.42%
in comparison to compound 2. The transformations of the
Co-MOFs have been accessed by employing powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD),
high-resolution transmission electron microscopic (HRTEM) analysis,
and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which reveal the formation of
uniform hexagonal Co(OH)2 plates. Therefore, the as-developed
Co-MOF is found to be an efficient pre-electrocatalyst for the OER
in alkaline medium. These results not only reveal the preparation
of OER electrocatalysts from a Co-MOF but also establish a method
to derive a potentially active electrocatalyst to substitute for the
traditional noble-metal-based materials.