Partial S substitution activates NiMoO₄ for efficient and stable electrocatalytic urea oxidation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Understanding catalyst reaction kinetics is crucial for developing efficient catalytic processes.
• Modulating the electronic structure of catalysts can significantly alter their performance.
• Nickel molybdate (NiMoO4) is a material with potential applications in catalysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a scalable method for partially substituting sulfur into NiMoO4.
• To investigate the effect of sulfur substitution on the electronic structure and coordination environment of NiMoO4.
• To evaluate the impact of these modifications on the urea oxidation activity of the catalyst.

Main Methods:

• A scalable approach for spatially partial sulfur substitution into NiMoO4 was employed.
• Characterization techniques were used to analyze the electronic structure and coordination environment.
• Electrochemical methods were used to assess the urea oxidation activity.

Main Results:

• Successful spatially partial substitution of sulfur into NiMoO4 was achieved.
• The substitution optimized the coordination environment, leading to an increase in active Ni3+ components.
• The modified catalyst exhibited greatly improved urea oxidation activity.

Conclusions:

• Partial sulfur substitution is an effective strategy to tune the electronic structure of NiMoO4.
• Optimizing the coordination environment enhances catalytic activity for urea oxidation.
• This work presents a scalable method for developing advanced oxidation catalysts.