Interface engineering of core-shell Ni_0.85Se/NiTe electrocatalyst for enhanced oxygen evolution and urea oxidation...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Efficient electrocatalysts are crucial for green hydrogen production via water and urea oxidation.
• Nickel-based compounds are promising earth-abundant catalysts, but specific materials like nickel selenides and tellurides remain underexplored.
• Developing earth-abundant, highly efficient catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and urea oxidation reaction (UOR) is essential for sustainable hydrogen generation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize an interfacial engineered Ni0.85Se/NiTe array on Ni foam as a highly efficient electrocatalyst.
• To investigate the catalytic activity for both oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and urea oxidation reaction (UOR).
• To explore the potential application in methanol and ethanol oxidation reactions.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a hierarchical nanostructure: Ni0.85Se/NiTe array on Ni foam.
• Electrochemical characterization in alkaline solutions to evaluate OER and UOR performance.
• Analysis of interfacial engineering and electron interactions between Ni0.85Se and NiTe.

Main Results:

• The Ni0.85Se/NiTe catalyst achieved an overpotential of 200 mV for OER at 10 mA cm⁻².
• It exhibited a low potential of 1.301 V for UOR at 100 mA cm⁻².
• Demonstrated potential for methanol and ethanol oxidation reactions, highlighting its versatility.

Conclusions:

• The interfacial engineered Ni0.85Se/NiTe array serves as an outstanding electrocatalyst for OER and UOR.
• The NiTe substrate enhances Ni0.85Se loading and promotes synergistic electronic interactions, improving catalytic sites.
• This work offers a new strategy for designing advanced hierarchical nanostructures for efficient electrocatalysis.