Boosting urea-assisted water splitting over P-MoO₂@CoNiP through Mo leaching/reabsorption coupling CoNiP...

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Combining urea oxidation reaction (UOR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) offers an energy-saving pathway for hydrogen production.
• Developing efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts is crucial for advancing this technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel bifunctional electrocatalyst (P-MoO2@CoNiP) for efficient urea electrolysis.
• To investigate the catalytic activity and energy efficiency of the P-MoO2@CoNiP catalyst for both HER and UOR in alkaline media.

Main Methods:

• A two-step hydrothermal process followed by phosphorization was employed to synthesize the P-MoO2@CoNiP catalyst.
• Electrochemical measurements were conducted to evaluate the catalytic performance for HER and UOR.
• Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to understand the reaction mechanisms and catalytic properties.

Main Results:

• The P-MoO2@CoNiP catalyst exhibited excellent performance for both HER and UOR in alkaline conditions.
• The catalyst required only -0.08 V and 1.38 V to achieve 100 mA cm⁻² for HER and UOR, respectively.
• The full urea electrolysis system using P-MoO2@CoNiP operated at 1.51 V, which is 120 mV lower than traditional water electrolysis.

Conclusions:

• The P-MoO2@CoNiP catalyst demonstrates superior bifunctional activity and significantly reduces energy consumption for hydrogen production via urea electrolysis.
• The synergistic effects between MoO2, Co, and P contribute to the enhanced catalytic performance, making it a promising material for energy-saving hydrogen generation.