Bhoi, U.Ray, S.Bhand, S.Ninawe, P.Roy, D.Rana, S.Tarafder, K.Ballav, N.2026-02-042023ACS Energy Letters, 2023, 8, 10, pp. 4465-4473https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.3c01626https://idr.nitk.ac.in/handle/123456789/21668Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are emerging as promising electro-catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The bimetallic design strategy was further adopted in MOFs to elevate the OER performance by a synergistic effect. The proximal metal-oxygen-metal bonding configuration with typical 3d<inf>π</inf>-2p<inf>π</inf>-3d<inf>π</inf> interaction was apparently essential for an effective electronic coupling between the metal centers. Here, we report an example of distal synergy in a bimetal-organic framework exhibiting a better OER activity than the monometallic counterparts, as well as the conventional proximal synergy. To achieve a current density of 10 mA·cm-2, our electrodeposited bimetallic MOF, Co-Ni(TCNQ)<inf>2</inf>(H<inf>2</inf>O)<inf>2</inf> (TCNQ = 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane), on a glassy-carbon electrode required an overpotential value of 220 mV. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed distinctive electronic coupling between the Co(II)-3d7 and Ni(II)-3d8 centers, despite being 9 Å apart, leading to an overall charge delocalization in the structure via TCNQ. © 2023 American Chemical Society.BimetalsCatalytic oxidationChemical bondsCobalt compoundsDesign for testabilityGlass membrane electrodesNickel compoundsOrganometallicsOxygenX ray photoelectron spectroscopyBimetallicsDesign strategiesElectro catalystsElectronic couplingMetal bondingMetalorganic frameworks (MOFs)OrganicsReaction performanceSynergistic effectWater oxidationDensity functional theory