• A bi-ligand strategy using terephthalic acid as a second ligand enhances the reconstruction of coordination compounds into active metal oxyhydroxides for OER.
• The optimized catalyst achieves a low overpotential of 220 mV at 10 mA·cm−2 in 1 mol·L−1 KOH, outperforming many reported OER catalysts.
• Zinc-air batteries assembled with this catalyst deliver a high specific capacity of 718 mA·h·g−1 and excellent cycling stability over 100 hours, surpassing Pt/C+RuO2.
• The work provides a cost-effective and high-performance catalyst for water electrolysis and zinc-air batteries, advancing green hydrogen production.