Cu-Metal Organic Framework Derived Multilevel Hierarchy (Cu/Cu x O@NC) as a Bifunctional Electrode for High-Performance Supercapacitors and Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

The development of a MOFs-derived multilevel hierarchy in a single step still remains a challenging task. Herein, we have synthesized novel Cu-MOF via a slow diffusion method at ambient temperature and further utilized it as a precursor source for MOF-derived multilevel hierarchy (Cu/Cu x O@NC, x = 1 and 2). This studies suggest that the organic ligands served as a source of an N-doped carbon matrix encapsulated with metal oxide nanoparticles which were confirmed by various characterization techniques; further BET analysis reveals a surface area of 178.46 m 2 /g. The synthesized multilevel hierarchy was utilized as an electro-active material in a supercapacitor that achieved a specific capacitance of 546.6 F g -1 at a current density of 1 A g -1 with a higher cyclic retention of 91.81% after 10 000 GCD cycles. Furthermore, the ASC device was fabricated using Cu/Cu x O@NC as the positive electrode and carbon black as the negative electrode and utilized to enlighten the commercially available LED bulb. The fabricated ASC device was further employed for a two-electrode study which achieved a specific capacitance of 68 F g -1 along with a comparable energy density of 13.6 Wh kg -1 . Furthermore, the electrode material was also explored for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in an alkaline medium with a low overpotential of 170 mV along with a Tafel slope of 95 mV dec -1 having long-term stability. The MOF-derived material has high durability, chemical stability, and efficient electrochemical performance. This work provides some new thoughts for the design and preparation of a multilevel hierarchy (Cu/Cu x O@NC) via a single precursor source in a single step and explored multifunctional applications in energy storage and an energy conversion system.