Hydrothermal Synthesis of MnWO₄@GO Composite as Non-Precious Electrocatalyst for Urea Oxidation

In this study, manganese tungstate (MW) and MW/graphene oxide (GO) composites were prepared by a facile hydrothermal synthesis at pH values of 7 and 12. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy were used for the structural, compositional, and morphological characterization of the nanoparticles (NPs). The XRD analysis revealed that the formation of monoclinic MnWO₄ did not have impurities. The SEM and TEM analyses showed that the synthesized NPs were rod-shaped and well-distributed on the GO. The as-synthesized samples can be used as electrocatalysts for the urea oxidation reaction (UOR). The MW@GO-12 electrocatalyst exhibited higher current density values compared to other electrocatalysts. This study provides a new platform for synthesizing inexpensive nanocomposites as promising electrocatalysts for energy storage and conversion applications.