Coupling Interface Constructions of FeNi₃-MoO₂ Heterostructures for Efficient Urea Oxidation and Hydrogen Evolution...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Urea electrolysis offers a dual solution for wastewater treatment and hydrogen fuel generation.
• Development of efficient and cost-effective catalysts is crucial for advancing urea electrolysis.
• Existing catalysts often face limitations in activity, stability, or economic viability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel bifunctional catalyst for efficient urea electrolysis.
• To investigate the catalytic performance for both urea oxidation and hydrogen evolution reactions.
• To explore the potential of FeNi3-MoO2 heterostructures for wastewater purification and hydrogen production.

Main Methods:

• Facile hydrothermal and annealing synthesis of tomentum-like FeNi3-MoO2 heterojunction nanosheets array.
• Fabrication of a self-supported catalyst on nickel foam (NF).
• Electrochemical characterization including cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry.

Main Results:

• The FeNi3-MoO2 catalyst exhibited excellent bifunctional activity, requiring only 1.29 V for urea oxidation reaction (UOR) and -50.8 mV for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at ±10 mA cm-2.
• The catalyst demonstrated outstanding durability for overall urea electrolysis, sustaining 100 mA cm-2 for 70 hours with minimal activity loss at 1.37 V.
• The unique heterostructure, mesoporous, and self-supporting morphology contributed to the enhanced catalytic performance.

Conclusions:

• The developed FeNi3-MoO2 heterojunction nanosheets array is a highly promising bifunctional catalyst for overall urea electrolysis.
• This catalyst design facilitates efficient wastewater purification and sustainable hydrogen production.
• The study provides a new avenue for designing advanced electrocatalysts for energy and environmental applications.