Cited research: Angew. Chem. Int. Edn doi:10.1002/anie.201000863 (2010)

Fuel cells and other applications depend on electro-oxidation reactions. The platinum-based catalysts generally used for these reactions are expensive and their supply is limited, so the search is on for alternatives. Hiroshi Kitagawa of Kyoto University in Japan and his colleagues show that metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) — which have several desirable properties and consist of metals linked to organic molecules — can act as electrocatalysts.

The researchers used a thermally stable copper-based MOF to oxidize ethanol. The catalyst seemed tolerant of the reaction's oxidation products, unlike the platinum-based catalysts. Although the ethanol was only partly oxidized to acetaldehyde, the catalytic performance of the MOF was comparable to that of platinum catalysts, the team reports. D.P.C.