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# Adelaide University team programs disorder into a MOF for stable bifunctional water splitting
- URL: https://research-pop.com/adelaide-university-team-programs-disorder-into-a-mof-for-stable-bifunctional-water-splitting/
- Published: 2026-09-23T13:18:07.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-23T13:18:07.000Z
- Author: ResearchPOP

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7c/5e/7c5e0911-739b-4a35-94eb-3e810bf78ba7/content/images/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-23-at-15.02.58.png)

Source: [https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aenm.71632](https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aenm.71632?ref=research-pop.com)

## At a glance

A metal–organic framework does not have to remain perfectly ordered to remain useful. Researchers at Adelaide University introduce Ru substitution into Co-MOF-74 to restrict long-range growth while retaining short-range metal–oxygen coordination. The resulting RS Co MOF contains coexisting ordered and disordered regions that can accommodate structural changes during electrochemical activation.

The material functions as both an oxygen-evolution and hydrogen-evolution catalyst. A two-electrode cell operates for 1,500 h at 1 A cm⁻² and also completes simulated start–stop testing. Alkaline-diaphragm and anion-exchange-membrane electrolyzers run for more than 500 h across stepped current densities.

The authors use this system to present disorder as a structural design element. The aim is not to remove all order, but to preserve local metal coordination while interrupting long-range periodicity that could otherwise concentrate strain during catalyst reconstruction.

## Background

Metal–organic frameworks offer defined metal sites and tunable coordination environments, but many MOF electrocatalysts reconstruct under water-splitting conditions. Their initial crystal structures may evolve as metal centres change oxidation state, coordination bonds rearrange and oxyhydroxide-like environments form.

A highly ordered precursor can concentrate strain as its coordination network changes. A completely amorphous material, however, may lose the local environments that make a MOF chemically programmable. The study targets a middle ground: retained short-range order combined with deliberately disrupted long-range periodicity.

Ru-substituted secondary building units restrict the continued growth of Co-MOF-74\. This produces regions that remain locally coordinated but differ in their degree of long-range order. The authors examine whether this mixed structure can accommodate activation without losing the metal–oxygen framework needed for catalysis.

## Research question

The study examines whether structural disorder can be deliberately programmed into a MOF so that electrochemical reconstruction becomes more stable, while the material retains the local coordination required for bifunctional water splitting.

## Inside the study

The researchers begin with Co-MOF-74 and introduce Ru into its metal-containing building units. X-ray diffraction shows that Ru addition suppresses long-range crystallographic order. Synchrotron Fourier-transform infrared mapping and oxygen K-edge spectroscopy further show that the substitution changes the local coordination and electronic environment rather than simply producing a physical mixture.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7c/5e/7c5e0911-739b-4a35-94eb-3e810bf78ba7/content/images/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-23-at-15.03.04.png)

Cyclic voltammetry follows the catalyst during electrochemical activation. The Ru-substituted material takes a distinct activation pathway, accompanied by changes in its electrochemically active surface area. These measurements establish that the initial disordered structure influences how the catalyst evolves under working conditions.

The structural characterization then connects disorder across several length scales. Cobalt- and ruthenium-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure measurements show that short-range coordination remains present around the metal centres. High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals neighbouring ordered and disordered regions. Small-angle X-ray scattering shows that the periodic signal observed for conventional Co MOF is strongly reduced in RS Co MOF.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7c/5e/7c5e0911-739b-4a35-94eb-3e810bf78ba7/content/images/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-23-at-15.03.11.png)

Together, these observations describe a material that has not become uniformly amorphous. Local metal–oxygen coordination remains identifiable, while the long-range repetition of the parent framework is disrupted. This combination provides the structural basis for the reconstruction behaviour examined during oxygen evolution.

Under oxygen-evolution conditions, RS Co MOF shows a voltage drift of about 0.22 mV h⁻¹ at 0.5 A cm⁻². The measured cobalt dissolution is nearly 67% lower than that of the ordered comparison material. These results connect the programmed disorder with slower performance drift and greater retention of cobalt during operation.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7c/5e/7c5e0911-739b-4a35-94eb-3e810bf78ba7/content/images/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-23-at-15.03.17.png)

Raman spectroscopy provides a view of the metal–oxygen framework as the applied potential increases. The metal–oxygen–metal signal of RS Co MOF remains visible up to 1.9 V, while the corresponding feature in ordered Co MOF disappears at about 1.7 V. The authors interpret this persistence as evidence that more of the linked metal–oxygen structure survives activation in the disordered material.

The study also examines how the two metal environments contribute to bifunctional catalysis. Electrochemical measurements, cobalt L-edge spectra and in situ optical observations connect the evolution of cobalt sites with oxygen-evolution activity. For hydrogen evolution, the authors combine electrochemical testing with analysis of interfacial water to describe how the Ru-containing environment supports water activation and subsequent hydrogen formation.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7c/5e/7c5e0911-739b-4a35-94eb-3e810bf78ba7/content/images/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-23-at-15.03.22.png)

The same material is then used at both electrodes in a full water-splitting cell. This two-electrode configuration operates for 1,500 h at 1 A cm⁻². Simulated start–stop operation tests the response to repeated changes in operating state rather than only continuous electrolysis.

The team also evaluates the catalyst in alkaline-diaphragm and anion-exchange-membrane electrolyzers. Both configurations operate for more than 500 h while the current density is stepped through conditions including 0.2, 0.4 and 1 A cm⁻². These device tests place the structural and half-cell observations beside sustained bifunctional operation in two electrolyzer architectures.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/7c/5e/7c5e0911-739b-4a35-94eb-3e810bf78ba7/content/images/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-23-at-15.03.28.png)

## Takeaways and outlook

The work treats disorder as a designed accommodation mechanism rather than an uncontrolled loss of crystallinity. Ru substitution restricts long-range growth in Co-MOF-74 while preserving short-range metal coordination. The resulting ordered–disordered structure provides room for activation-induced changes without removing all metal–oxygen connectivity.

The evidence is developed across structure, dissolution, spectroscopy and device operation. Multiscale characterization establishes the coexistence of local order and disrupted periodicity. Oxygen-evolution tests show reduced cobalt loss and persistent metal–oxygen–metal signals, while hydrogen-evolution measurements connect the Ru-containing environment with interfacial water activation.

The two-electrode and electrolyzer measurements extend this picture to bifunctional water splitting at high current density. The authors' design strategy suggests that controlling where order ends and disorder begins may offer another way to manage reconstruction in framework-derived electrocatalysts.

## About the researchers

Qian Niu and Fei-Yue Gao (Adelaide University) are equal first authors. Shi-Zhang Qiao (Adelaide University) is the corresponding author. Hao Liu and Deyu Bao are also affiliated with Adelaide University.

## Original research

Qian Niu, Fei-Yue Gao, Hao Liu, Deyu Bao and Shi-Zhang Qiao. “Programming Structural Disorder in MOFs for a Stable Bifunctional Water-Splitting Electrocatalyst.” *Advanced Energy Materials* (2026). DOI: [10.1002/aenm.71632](https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.71632?ref=research-pop.com). 

*Open access publishing facilitated by Adelaide University, as part of the Wiley - Adelaide University agreement via the Council of Australasian University Librarians*

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## Research POP Notes

This article reflects the independent interpretation of the Research POP team and does not represent the views of the authors, their institutions or the journal. If you identify any inaccuracies or have concerns regarding the content, figures or attribution, please contact us at [team.researchpop@gmail.com](mailto:team.researchpop@gmail.com). We will review the matter promptly and make corrections or remove the relevant material where appropriate.