Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been at the center stage of material science in the recent past because of their structural properties and wide applications in catalysis. MOFs have also been used as hard templates for the preparation of catalysts. In this study, highly active CuPt/NC electrocatalyst was synthesized by pyrolyzing Cu-tpa MOF along with Pt precursor under flowing Ar-H₂ atmosphere. The catalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). Rotating disk electrode study was performed to determine the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity for CuPt/NC in 0.1 M HClO₄ at different revolutions per minute (400, 800, 1200, and 1600) and it was also compared with commercial Pt/C catalyst. Further the ORR performance was evaluated by K-L plots and Tafel slope. CuPt/NC shows excellent ORR performance with onset potential of 0.9 V (vs. RHE), which is comparable with commercial Pt/C. The ORR activity of CuPt/NC is demonstrated as an efficient electrocatalyst for fuel cell.

In present study, catalytic activity of copper loaded cobalt based MOF (ZIF-67) composites were studied for their electrochemical oxidation reduction reaction. The Cu-ZIF-67 composite was prepared by solvothermal method. After pyrolysis under Argon atmosphere at 700°C, the composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The electrochemical activity of the composites was tested for oxidation reduction reaction (ORR) in 0.1M alkaline media using three electrode system by Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Tafel plots and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). At 50mV s⁻¹ scan rate, the onset potential for composite was 0.91 V with current density of 10.8 mA cm⁻² which is much comparable to commercial Pt/C for onset potential, but composite have higher current density than Pt/C i.e. 3.8mA cm⁻². The effect can be attributed to higher activity of ZIF-67 with synergistic effect of Cu, towards increased current density.