Belhaj, InesBecker, J. AlexanderViana, Alexandre M.Gusmão, Filipe M. B.Chaves, MiguelPereira, EuláliaSljukic, BiljanaBalula, Salete S.Silva, Luis CunhaSantos, Diogo M. F.2026-02-272026-02-272026-02Belhaj, I., Becker, J.A., Viana, A.M., Gusmão, F.M.B., Chaves, M., Pereira, E., Šljukić, B., Balula, S.S., Silva, L.C., & Santos, D.M.F. (2026). Enhanced borohydride oxidation kinetics with Au@MOF-808 nanocomposite electrocatalysts with ultra-low Au loading. In: Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, 2026, vol. 1008, article 119920. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelechem.2026.1199201572-6657http://hdl.handle.net/10400.9/6275ABSTRACT: The highly stable metal-organic framework (MOF) composed of[Zr6O4(mu 3-OH)4(OH)6(H2O)6(BTC)2]& sdot;nH2O units (MOF-808) was modified by incorporating gold (Au) nanoparticles and functional groups to enhance electrocatalytic activity for the borohydride oxidation reaction (BOR). Three composite materials (Au@MOF-808, Au@MOF-808-NH2, and Au@MOF-808-SH) were prepared by the incorporation of Au in structurally related MOFs, MOF-808, MOF-808-NH2, and MOF-808-SH, respectively. These composite materials were evaluated as anodic electrocatalysts for BOR in alkaline media using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. Among the prepared materials, Au@MOF-808-NH2 exhibited the highest BOR activity, with an apparent activation energy of 15.3 kJ mol-1, a reaction order of 0.6, an anodic charge transfer coefficient of 0.63, and a number of exchanged electrons of 4.4. The latter was significantly below the theoretical eight-electron value, indicating the presence of alternative reaction pathways. Notably, this material achieved a high mass-specific BOR peak current of 4.23 A mu gAu-1, demonstrating outstanding electrocatalytic efficiency despite the ultralow noble metal loading. These results underscore the potential of Au@MOF-808-NH2 as a cost-effective and scalable anodic electrocatalyst for high-performance direct borohydride fuel cells.engElectrochemistryGoldMetal organic frameworkBorohydride oxidationBorohydridesFuel cellsresearch article10.1016/j.jelechem.2026.1199201873-2569