**Executive Summary**
A new strategy has been developed by researchers at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, to enhance the activity of catalysts used to split water for hydrogen production. The approach involves argon plasma treatment to activate coordination polymers (COPs) without compromising their structure. The findings were published in ‘ACS Applied Nano Materials’ on 02 DEC 2023
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Context:**
* The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a challenge in water electrolysis due to slow kinetics.
* Developing noble-metal-free catalysts for OER is a research priority.
* Coordination polymers (COPs) have limitations in electrocatalysis due to limited active sites.
* **Novel Strategy:**
* Researchers devised a novel strategy to enhance the catalytic activity of coordination polymers (COPs) using argon plasma treatment.
* The process generates coordinatively unsaturated metal sites (CUMSs).
* This treatment improves catalytic performance while maintaining the polymer's structural integrity.
* **Results:**
* Plasma-activated Ni- and Co-COPs showed significant improvements in electrocatalytic performance.
* Detailed structural studies confirmed the formation of CUMSs without altering the bulk framework.
* **Significance:**
* This research opens new avenues for designing cost-effective catalysts for water splitting.
* It contributes to the pursuit of clean and sustainable hydrogen energy.
**Impact Analysis**
**Researchers (CeNS, Bengaluru)**
* **Impact:**
* Demonstrated a new strategy to enhance catalyst activity for water splitting.
* **Action Required:**
* Further explore the application of this strategy in designing cost-effective and efficient catalysts for water splitting.
* Continue to develop this area to contribute to clean and sustainable hydrogen energy production.
**Scientific Community**
* **Impact:**
* The findings published in ‘ACS Applied Nano Materials’ provide valuable insights for designing improved electrocatalysts.
* **Action Required:**
* Consider the application of the strategy in the development of new catalysts.
* Utilize the findings to further advance hydrogen energy solutions.
Key Entities Referenced
Department of Science and Technology (DST): A department responsible for funding and promoting scientific research in India. CeNS is under DST.
Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru: An autonomous research institute focused on nano and soft matter research. They devised a new strategy to enhance catalytic activity.
Coordination Polymers (COPs): A type of material being researched to improve the efficiency of water electrolysis.
Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER): A chemical reaction in water electrolysis that is a challenge to improve for clean hydrogen production.
Ministry of Science & Technology: The ministry under which the research was conducted.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Scientists supercharge promising material to
catalyze clean hydrogen production
प्रव तथ: 02 DEC 2025 8:57PM by PIB Delhi
A new strategy has been developed for enhancing the activity of catalysts used to split water for
generating Hydrogen, one of the cleanest known fuels.
In the electrolysis of water, which is central to clean hydrogen production, the oxygen evolution reaction
(OER) has long remained a challenge due to its sluggish kinetics and higher overpotential requirements
compared to the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Developing noble-metal-free catalysts that can
efficiently drive OER is therefore a pressing research priority.
Coordination polymers (COPs) are formed by the combination of metal ions and organic molecules and
are currently used for electrolysis of water. However, they have a limitation. Typically, such COPs are
fully coordinated by solvent and water molecules, leaving few active sites for electrocatalysis and limiting
their direct application.
Researchers at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, an autonomous institute
under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), have devised a novel strategy to significantly
enhance the catalytic activity of coordination polymers (COPs) without compromising their bulk structure.
They employed argon plasma treatment, activating the COP. This was possible due to generation of
coordinatively unsaturated metal sites (CUMSs). The process enhanced catalytic performance while
preserving the structural integrity and bulk structure of the polymer.
Detailed structural studies revealed that the newly developed Ni- and Co-based COPs were consistent
across both single-crystal and bulk powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. While the pristine materials
displayed high onset potentials and sluggish performance for oxygen evolution in alkaline media, their
activity was significantly boosted after argon plasma treatment. The plasma process created coordinatively
unsaturated metal sites (CUMSs) without altering the bulk framework, as confirmed by powder XRD,
transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and contact angle
measurements.
The plasma-activated Ni- and Co-COPs demonstrated remarkable improvements in electrocatalytic
performance.Fig: Illustration of the synthesized Ni- and Co-based coordination polymers (COPs) and their plasma
treatment for generating CUMS
This work published in the journal ‘ACS Applied Nano Materials’ demonstrated an effective strategy to
enhance the intrinsic activity of coordination-polymer-based electrocatalysts through structural
modification, while preserving their overall integrity. The approach opens new possibilities for designing
cost-effective and efficient catalysts for water splitting, contributing to the larger pursuit of clean and
sustainable hydrogen energy.
Publication link: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.5c02951
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