Urea holds promise as an alternative water-oxidation substrate in electrolytic cells.High-valence nickelbased spinel,especially after heteroatom doping,excels in urea oxidation reactions(UOR).However,traditional spine...Urea holds promise as an alternative water-oxidation substrate in electrolytic cells.High-valence nickelbased spinel,especially after heteroatom doping,excels in urea oxidation reactions(UOR).However,traditional spinel synthesis methods with prolonged high-temperature reactions lack kinetic precision,hindering the balance between controlled doping and highly active two-dimensional(2D)porous structures design.This significantly impedes the identification of electron configuration-dependent active sites in doped 2D nickel-based spinels.Herein,we present a microwave shock method for the preparation of 2D porous NiCo_(2)O_(4)spinel.Utilizing the transient on-off property of microwave pulses for precise heteroatom doping and 2D porous structural design,non-metal doping(boron,phosphorus,and sulfur)with distinct extranuclear electron disparities serves as straightforward examples for investigation.Precise tuning of lattice parameter reveals the impact of covalent bond strength on NiCo_(2)O_(4)structural stability.The introduced defect levels induce unpaired d-electrons in transition metals,enhancing the adsorption of electron-donating amino groups in urea molecules.Simultaneously,Bode plots confirm the impact mechanism of rapid electron migration caused by reduced band gaps on UOR activity.The prepared phosphorus-doped 2D porous NiCo_(2)O_(4),with optimal electron configuration control,outperforms most reported spinels.This controlled modification strategy advances understanding theoretical structure-activity mechanisms of high-performance 2D spinels in UOR.展开更多
Exploitation of oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and urea oxidation reaction(UOR)catalysts with high activity and stability at large current density is a major challenge for energy-saving H_(2) production in water electr...Exploitation of oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and urea oxidation reaction(UOR)catalysts with high activity and stability at large current density is a major challenge for energy-saving H_(2) production in water electrolysis.Herein,we use the pyridinic-N doping carbon layers coupled with tensile strain of FeNi alloy activated by NiFe_(2)O_(4)(FeNi/NiFe_(2)O_(4)@NC)for efficiently increasing the performance of water and urea oxidation.Due to the tensile strain effect on FeNi/NiFe_(2)O_(4)@NC,it provides a favorable modulation on the electronic properties of the active center,thus enabling amazing OER(η_(100)=196 mV)and UOR(E_(10)=1.32 V)intrinsic activity.Besides,the carbon-coated layers can be used as armor to prevent FeNi alloy from being corroded by the electrolyte for enhancing the OER/UOR stability at large current density,showing high industrial practicability.This work thus provides a simple way to prepare high-efficiency catalyst for activating water and urea oxidation.展开更多
From the perspective of electronic structure modulation,it is highly desirable to rationally design the active urea oxidation reaction(UOR)catalysts through interface engineering.The binary cooperative heterostructure...From the perspective of electronic structure modulation,it is highly desirable to rationally design the active urea oxidation reaction(UOR)catalysts through interface engineering.The binary cooperative heterostructure systems have been shown significant enhancement for catalyzing UOR,but their performance still remains unsatisfactory for industrialization because of the unfavorable intermediate adsorption/desorption and deficient electron transfer channels.In response,taking the ternary cooperative Ni_5P_(4)/NiSe_(2)/Ni_(3)Se_(4) heterostructure as the proof-of-concept paradigm,a catalytic model is rationally put forward to elucidate the UOR promotion mechanism at the molecular level.The rod-like Ni_5P_(4)/NiSe_(2)/Ni_(3)Se_(4) nanoarrays with three-phase heterojunction are experimentally fabricated on Ni foam(named as Ni_5P_(4)/NiSe_(2)/Ni_(3)Se_(4)/NF)via simple two-step processes.The density functional theory calculations disclose that construction of Ni_5P_(4)/NiSe_(2)/Ni_(3)Se_(4) heterostructure model not only induce charge redistribution at the interfacial region for creating innumerable electron transfer channels,but also endow it with a moderate d-band center that could help to build a balance between adsorption and desorption of diverse UOR intermediates.Benefiting from the unique rod-like nanoarrays with large specific surface area and the optimized electronic structure,the well-designed Ni_5P_(4)/NiSe_(2)/Ni_(3)Se_(4)/NF could act as a robust catalyst for driving UOR at industrial-level current densities under tough environments,offering great potential for commercial applications.展开更多
Urea oxidation is a significant reaction for utilizing urea-rich wastewater or human urine as sustainable power sources which can ease the water eutrophication while generate electricity. A direct urea-hydrogen peroxi...Urea oxidation is a significant reaction for utilizing urea-rich wastewater or human urine as sustainable power sources which can ease the water eutrophication while generate electricity. A direct urea-hydrogen peroxide fuel cell is a new kind of fuel cell employing urea as fuel and hydrogen peroxide as oxidant which possesses a larger cell voltage. Herein, this work tries to promote the kinetics process of urea oxidation by preparing low-cost and high-efficient NiCo2S4 nanowires modified carbon sponge electrode. The carbon sponge used in this work with a similar three-dimensional multi-channel structure to Ni foam, is prepared by carbonizing recycled polyurethane sponge which is also a process of recycling waste. The performance of the prepared catalyst in an alkaline solution is investigated in a three-electrode system.With the introduction of Co element to the catalyst, a reduced initial urea oxidation potential and a high performance are obtained. Furthermore, a direct urea-hydrogen peroxide fuel cell is assembled using the NiCo2S4 nanowires modified carbon sponge anode. Results indicate that the prepared catalyst provides a chance to solve the current problems that hinder the development of urea electrooxidation(high initial urea oxidation potential, low performance, and high electrode costs).展开更多
Urea oxidation reaction (UOR),which has favorable thermodynamic energy barriers compared with oxygen evolution reaction (OER),can provide more cost-effective electrons for the renewable energy systems,but is trapped b...Urea oxidation reaction (UOR),which has favorable thermodynamic energy barriers compared with oxygen evolution reaction (OER),can provide more cost-effective electrons for the renewable energy systems,but is trapped by its sluggish UOR kinetics and intricate reaction intermediates formation/desorption process.Herein,we report a novel and effective electrocatalyst consisting of carbon cloth supported nitrogen vacancies-enriched Ce-doped Ni_(3)N hierarchical nanosheets (Ce-Ni_(3)N @CC) to optimize the flat-footed UOR kinetics,especially the stiff rate-determine CO_(2)desorption step of UOR.Upon the introduction of valance state variable Ce,the resultant nitrogen vacancies enriched Ce-Ni_(3)N @CC exhibits an enhanced UOR performance where the operation voltage requires only 1.31 V to deliver the current density of 10 mA cm^(-2),which is superior to that of Ni_(3)N @CC catalyst (1.36 V) and other counterparts.Density functional theory (DFT) results demonstrate that the incorporation of Ce in Ni_(3)N lowers the formation energy of nitrogen vacancies,resulting in rich nitrogen vacancies in Ce-Ni_(3)N @CC.Moreover,the nitrogen vacancies together with Ce doping optimize the local charge distribution around Ni sites,and balance the adsorption energy of CO_(2)in the rate-determining step (RDS),as well as affect the initial adsorption structure of urea,leading to the superior UOR catalytic performance of Ce-Ni_(3)N @CC.When integrating the Ce-Ni_(3)N catalyst in UOR//HER and UOR//CO_(2)R flow electrolyzer,both of them perform well with low operation voltage and robust long-term stability,proofing that the thermodynamically favorable UOR can act as a suitable substitute anodic reaction compared with that of OER.Our findings here not only provide a novel UOR catalyst but also offer a promising design strategy for the future development of energy-related devices.展开更多
Two-dimensional coordination polymers(CPs) have aroused tremendous interest as electrocatalysts because the catalytic performance could be fine-tuned by their well-designed coordination layers with highly accessible a...Two-dimensional coordination polymers(CPs) have aroused tremendous interest as electrocatalysts because the catalytic performance could be fine-tuned by their well-designed coordination layers with highly accessible and active metal sites.However,it remains great challenge for CP-based catalysts to be utilized for electrocatalytic oxidation reactions due to their inefficient activities and low catalytic stabilities.Herein,we applied a mixed-metal strategy to fabricate two-dimensional Co_xNi_(1-x)-CPs with dual active sites for electrocatalytic water and urea oxidation.By metal ratio regulation in the twodimensional layer,an optimized Co_(2/3)Ni_(1/3)-CP exhibits a water oxidation performance with an overpotential of 325 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm^(-2) and a Tafel slope of 86 mV dec^(-1) in alkaline solution for oxygen evolution reaction.Importantly,a lower potential than that of commercial RuO_(2) is observed over20 mA cm^(-2).Co_(2/3)Ni_(1/3)-CP also displays a potential of 1.381 V at 10 mA cm^(-2) for urea oxidation reaction and a Tafel slope of 124 mV dec^(-1).This mixed-metal strategy to maximize synergistic effect of different metal centers may ultimately lead to promising electrocatalysts for small molecule oxidation reaction.展开更多
The urea oxidization reaction(UOR)is an important anodic reaction in electro-catalytic energy conversion.However,the sluggish reaction kinetics and complex catalyst transformation in electrocatalysis require activity ...The urea oxidization reaction(UOR)is an important anodic reaction in electro-catalytic energy conversion.However,the sluggish reaction kinetics and complex catalyst transformation in electrocatalysis require activity improvement and better mechanistic understanding of the state-of-the-art Ni(OH)_(2) catalyst.Herein,by utilizing low-temperature argon(Ar)plasma processing,tooth-wheel Ni(OH)_(2) nanosheets self-supported on Ni foam(Ni(OH)_(2)-Ar)are demonstrated to have improved UOR activity compared to conventional Ni(OH)_(2).The theoretical assessment confirms that the edge has a smaller cation vacancy formation energy than the basal plane,consequently explaining the structural formation.Operando and quasi-operando methods are employed to investigate the dynamic evolution of the Ni(OH)_(2) film in UOR.The crucial dehydrogenation products of Ni(OH)_(5)O^(-)intermediates are identified to be stable on the etched edge and explain the enhanced UOR in the low potential region.In addition,the dynamic active sites are monitored to elucidate the reaction mechanism in different potential ranges.展开更多
Controllable design of the catalytic electrodes with hierarchical superstructures is expected to improve their electrochemical performance.Herein,a self-supported integrated electrode(NiCo-ZLDH/NF)with a unique hierar...Controllable design of the catalytic electrodes with hierarchical superstructures is expected to improve their electrochemical performance.Herein,a self-supported integrated electrode(NiCo-ZLDH/NF)with a unique hierarchical quaternary superstructure was fabricated through a self-sacrificing template strategy from the metal–organic framework(Co-ZIF-67)nanoplate arrays,which features an intriguing well-defined hierarchy when taking the unit cells of the NiCo-based layered double hydroxide(NiCo-LDH)as the primary structure,the ultrathin LDH nanoneedles as the secondary structure,the mesoscale hollow plates of the LDH nanoneedle arrays as the tertiary structure,and the macroscale three-dimensional frames of the plate arrays as the quaternary structure.Notably,the distinctive structure of NiCo-ZLDH/NF can not only accelerate both mass and charge transfer,but also expose plentiful accessible active sites with high intrinsic activity,endowing it with an excellent electrochemical performance for urea oxidation reaction(UOR).Specially,it only required the low potentials of 1.335,1.368 and 1.388 V to deliver the current densities of 10,100 and 200 mA cm^(-2),respectively,much superior to those for typical NiCo-LDH.Employing NiCo-ZLDH/NF as the bifunctional electrode for both anodic UOR and cathodic HER,an energy-saving electrolysis system was further explored which can greatly reduce the needed voltage of 213 mV to deliver the current density of 100 mA cm^(-2),as compared to the conventional water electrolysis system composed of OER.This work manifests that it is prospective to explore the hierarchically nanostructured electrodes and the innovative electrolytic technologies for high-efficiency electrocatalysis.展开更多
The overall energy efficiency of electrochemical systems is severely hindered by the traditional anodic oxygen evolution reaction(OER).Utilizing urea oxidation reaction(UOR)with lower thermodynamic potential to replac...The overall energy efficiency of electrochemical systems is severely hindered by the traditional anodic oxygen evolution reaction(OER).Utilizing urea oxidation reaction(UOR)with lower thermodynamic potential to replace OER provides a promising strategy to enhance the energy efficiency.Amorphous and heterojunctions electrocatalysts have been aroused extensive studies owing to their unique physicochemical properties and outperformed activity.Herein,we report a simple method to construct a novel crystalline-amorphous NiO-CrO_(x)heterojunction grown on Ni foam for UOR electrocatalyst.The NiO-CrO_(x)electrocatalyst displays excellent UOR performance with an ultralow working potential of 1.32 V at 10 mA·cm^(−2)and ultra-long stability about 5 days even at 100 mA·cm^(−2).In-situ Raman analysis and temperature-programmed desorption(TPD)measurement verify that the presence of the amorphous CrO_(x)phase can boost the reconstruction from NiO to active NiOOH species and enhance adsorption ability of urea molecule.Besides,the unique crystalline-amorphous interfaces are also benefit to improving the UOR performance.展开更多
Deliberate modulation of the electronic structure via interface engineering is one of promising perspectives to build advanced catalysts for urea oxidation reaction(UOR)at high current densities.However,it still remai...Deliberate modulation of the electronic structure via interface engineering is one of promising perspectives to build advanced catalysts for urea oxidation reaction(UOR)at high current densities.However,it still remains some challenges originating from the intrinsically sluggish UOR dynamics and the high energy barrier for urea adsorption.In response,we report the coupled NiSe_(2)nanowrinkles with Ni_(5)P_(4)nanorods heterogeneous structure onto Ni foam(denoted as NiSe_(2)@Ni_(5)P_(4)/NF)through successive phosphorization and selenization strategy,in which the produced closely contacted interface could provide high-flux electron transfer pathways.Theoretical findings decipher that the fast charge transfer takes place at the interfacial region from Ni_(5)P_(4)to NiSe_(2),which is conducive to optimizing adsorption energy of urea molecules.As expected,the well-designed NiSe_(2)@Ni_(5)P_(4)/NF only requires the low potential of 1.402 V at the current density of 500 mA·cm^(-2).More importantly,a small Tafel slope of 27.6 mV·dec^(-1),a high turnover frequency(TOF)value of 1.037 s^(-1)as well as the prolonged stability of 950 h at the current density of 100 mA·cm^(-2)are also achieved.This study enriches the understanding on the electronic structure modulation via interface engineering and offers bright prospect to design advanced UOR catalysts.展开更多
Exploiting high-efficiency Ni-based materials for electrocatalytic urea oxidation reaction(UOR) is critical for urea-related technologies.The catalytic site density,intrinsic activity,charge transfer,and mass diffusio...Exploiting high-efficiency Ni-based materials for electrocatalytic urea oxidation reaction(UOR) is critical for urea-related technologies.The catalytic site density,intrinsic activity,charge transfer,and mass diffusion determine overall electrocatalytic efficiency.Simultaneous modulation over the above four factors promises advanced electrocatalysis,yet challenging.Herein we propose a systematic regulation tactic over composition and geometric structure,constructing a nanocomposite comprising Mn doped Ni_(3)N nanoparticles anchored on reduced graphene oxide(rGO/Mn-Ni_(3)N),achieving elegant integration of four design principles into one,thereby eminently boosting UOR.Particularly,Mn doping in Ni_(3)N can modulate electronic state to induce intrinsic activity regulation.Combining metallic Mn-Ni_(3)N with rGO to engineer hierarchical architecture not only promotes charge transfer,but also enriches active site population.Intriguingly,improved hydrophilicity could impart better electrolyte penetration and gas escape.Consequently,such system-optimized rGO/Mn-Ni_(3)N demonstrates state-of-the-art-level UOR electrocatalysis.This work offers a novel paradigm to create advanced catalysts via systematic and integrated modulation.展开更多
Urea oxidation reaction(UOR)is proposed as an exemplary half-reaction in renewable energy applications because of its low thermodynamical potential.However,challenges persist due to sluggish reaction kinetics and comp...Urea oxidation reaction(UOR)is proposed as an exemplary half-reaction in renewable energy applications because of its low thermodynamical potential.However,challenges persist due to sluggish reaction kinetics and complex by-products separation.To this end,we introduce the lattice oxygen oxidation mechanism(LOM),propelling a novel UOR route using a modified CoFe layered double hydroxide(LDH)catalyst termed CFRO-7.Theoretical calculations and in-situ characterizations highlight the activated lattice oxygen(O_(L))within CFRO-7 as pivotal sites for UOR,optimizing the reaction pathway and accelerating the kinetics.For the urea overall electrolysis application,the LOM route only requires a low voltage of 1.54 V to offer a high current of 100 mA cm^(-2) for long-term utilization(>48 h).Importantly,the by-product NCO^(-)−is significantly suppressed,while the CO_(2)2/N_(2) separation is efficiently achieved.This work proposed a pioneering paradigm,invoking the LOM pathway in urea electrolysis to expedite reaction dynamics and enhance product selectivity.展开更多
Urea oxidation reaction(UOR) has been selected as substitution for oxygen evolution reaction ascribing to its low thermodynamic voltage as well as utilization of nickel as electrocatalyst.Herein,we report the formatio...Urea oxidation reaction(UOR) has been selected as substitution for oxygen evolution reaction ascribing to its low thermodynamic voltage as well as utilization of nickel as electrocatalyst.Herein,we report the formation of nickel single atoms(Ni-SAs) as exceptional bifunctional electrocatalyst toward UOR and hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) in urea-assisted water splitting.In UOR catalysis,Ni-SAs perform a superior catalytic performance than Ni-NP/NC and Pt/C ascribing to the formation of HOO-Ni-N_(4) structure evidenced by in-situ Raman spectroscopy,corresponding to a boosted mass activity by 175-fold at 1.4 V vs.RHE than Ni-NP/NC.Furthermore,Ni-SAs requires only 450 mV overpotential to obtain HER current density of 500 mA cm^(-2).136 mA cm^(-2) is achieved in urea-assisted water splitting at1.7 V for Ni-SAs,boosted by 5.7 times than Pt/C-IrO_(2) driven water splitting.展开更多
Highly active and low-cost catalytic electrodes for urea oxidation reaction(UOR)are always crucial for exploration of urea fuel cells.Herein,novel york-shell-structural Ni_(2)P/C na nosphere hybrids(Ni_(2)P/C-YS)are r...Highly active and low-cost catalytic electrodes for urea oxidation reaction(UOR)are always crucial for exploration of urea fuel cells.Herein,novel york-shell-structural Ni_(2)P/C na nosphere hybrids(Ni_(2)P/C-YS)are rationally constructed via a hydrothermal method and subsequent phosphidation treatment under different temperature ranging from 250℃to 450℃for UOR applications.In the in-situ constructed hollow york-shell structure,the coupling of conductive carbon materials and active Ni_(2)P allows numerous interfaces facilitating the electron transfer and thereby accelerating the catalytic kinetics.The results demonstrate that Ni_(2)P/C-YS-350 nanocomposite can boost the UOR process with a low potential of 1.366 V vs.RHE at a current density of 50 mA/cm^(2) in alkaline electrolyte and afford the superior durability with negligible potential decay after 23 h.This study presents that the carbon coated Ni_(2)P hybrid with the optimized crystallinities and hollow york-shell configurations can be a promising candidate for application in urea fuel cells.展开更多
Conferring surfaces with superhydrophilic/superaerophobic characteristics is desirable for synthesizing efficient gas reaction catalysts.However,complicated procedures,high costs,and poor interfaces hinder commerciali...Conferring surfaces with superhydrophilic/superaerophobic characteristics is desirable for synthesizing efficient gas reaction catalysts.However,complicated procedures,high costs,and poor interfaces hinder commercialization.Here,an integrated electrode with tunable wettability derived from a hierarchically porous wood scaffold was well designed for urea oxidation reaction(UOR).Interestingly,the outer surface of the wood lumen was optimized to the preferred wettability via stoichiometry to promote electrolyte permeation and gas escape.This catalyst exhibits outstanding activity and durability for UOR in alkaline media,requiring only a potential of 1.36 V(vs.RHE)to deliver 10 m A cm^(-2)and maintain its activity without significant decay for 60 h.These experiments and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the nickel(oxy)hydroxide layer formed through surface reconstruction of nickel nanoparticles improves the active sites and intrinsic activity.Moreover,the superwetting properties of the electrode promote mass transfer by guaranteeing substantial contact with the electrolyte and accelerating the separation of gaseous products during electrocatalysis.These findings provide the understanding needed to manipulate the surface wettability through rational design and fabrication of efficient electrocatalysts for gas-evolving processes.展开更多
Urea electro-oxidation reaction(UEOR)-boosted water electrolysis can supplant the kinetics-restricted oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and provide an energy-saving method of hydrogen generation.However,low UEOR activity ...Urea electro-oxidation reaction(UEOR)-boosted water electrolysis can supplant the kinetics-restricted oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and provide an energy-saving method of hydrogen generation.However,low UEOR activity and the poisoning issue of the catalyst limit its practical application.Herein,a simple coordination reaction is used to synthesize the dimethylglyoxime-NiⅡcomplex(DMGNiⅡ),which efficiently serves as the initial precursor to synthesize nitrogen-doped carbon nanorodsupported nickel phosphide nanoparticle(Ni_(2)P/N-C)nanocomposites.The density functional theory calculations and electrochemical results reveal that nitrogen doping can weaken the adsorption of hydrogen and the generated CO_(2)resulting in an enhancement of hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)and UEOR activity.In addition,N-doping can also promote the generation of Ni,which can further promote the UEOR and HER performance.Concretely,the overpotential for the HER on Ni_(2)P/N-C-2h nanocomposites is only 201 m V at 10 mA cm,and the onset potential of the UEOR on NiP/NC-2h nanocomposites is only 1.34 V.Additionally,the Ni_(2)P/N-Cnanocomposites also show excellent long-term stability due to the introduction of nitrogen-doped carbon material.Consequently,the symmetric Ni_(2)P/N-C-2h||Ni_(2)P/N-C-2h urea electrolyzer requires 1.41 V of electrolysis voltage for urea electrolysis,which can be applied in energy-saving H_(2) production and environment purification.展开更多
High valence state species are significant in the energy-relevant electrochemical oxidation reactions.Herein,the high active state of Ni^(3+)formation induced by Mo^(6+)and their efficient synergism in NiS_(2)-MoS_(2)...High valence state species are significant in the energy-relevant electrochemical oxidation reactions.Herein,the high active state of Ni^(3+)formation induced by Mo^(6+)and their efficient synergism in NiS_(2)-MoS_(2)hetero-nanorods powder catalyst with the rough layered structure are demonstrated,as proof of concept,for the urea-assisted water electrolysis.This catalyst can be derived from the sulfidation of NiMoO_(4) nanorods that can realize individual metal sulfides sufficiently mixing at a domain size in the nanoscale which creates lots of active sites and nanointerfaces.The high valence state of Mo^(6+)and Ni^(3+)formation and increased conductive phase of 1 T MoS_(2)in the hetero-nanorods compared to the counterpart pure phases are revealed by spectral study and microscopic analysis;high electrochemical surface area and active site exposure are found due to the nano-interface formation and layered rough nanosheets over the surface of nanorods.They show much higher catalytic performance than their pure phases for urea oxidation,including high catalytic activity,stability,charge transfer ability and catalytic kinetics resulting from more active Ni^(3+)species formation and electronic synergism of high valence metals.Transformation of 1 T MoS_(2)to Mo^(6+)and increased amount of Mo^(6+)and Ni^(3+)after stability test indicate their involvement and synergism for the catalysis reaction.The current work offers a novel understanding of the synergistic effect based on the high valence state synergism for heterogeneous catalysts in electrocatalysis.展开更多
Urea oxidation reaction(UOR)is an auxiliary water electrolysis hydrogen production technology developed in recent years to replace oxygen evolution reaction and reduce energy consumption,which can produce hydrogen mor...Urea oxidation reaction(UOR)is an auxiliary water electrolysis hydrogen production technology developed in recent years to replace oxygen evolution reaction and reduce energy consumption,which can produce hydrogen more efficiently by low theoretical potential,reduce the average cost of electrochemical hydrogen production,and is a frontier research hotspot for renewable hydrogen energy.Two-dimensional(2D)nanomaterials as electrocatalysts have many favorable potential,such as it can effectively reduce the resistivity of materials and increase the specific surface area with certainty.This paper reviews the application of 2D materials in UOR in alkaline electrolytes.And a cross-sectional comparison of various material performance data including overpotential,Tafel slope,electrochemical active surface area(ECSA)and it stability test was conducted,which could illustrate the differences between materials composed of different elements.In addition,the main challenges hindering the progress of research on 2D materials in urea electrocatalysis processes and promising materials in this field in future are summarized and prospected.It is believed that this review will contribute to designing and analyzing highperformance 2D urea electrocatalysts for water splitting.展开更多
Urea oxidation reaction(UOR)provides a method for hydrogen production besides wastewater treatment,but the current limited catalytic activity has prevented the application.Herein,we develop a novel H_(2)O_(2) treatmen...Urea oxidation reaction(UOR)provides a method for hydrogen production besides wastewater treatment,but the current limited catalytic activity has prevented the application.Herein,we develop a novel H_(2)O_(2) treatment strategy for tailoring the surface oxygen ligand of NiFe-layered double hydroxides(NiFe-LDH).The sample after H_(2)O_(2) treatment(NiFeOLDH)shows significant enhancement on UOR efficiency,with the potential of 1.37 V(RHE)to reach a current density of 10 mA/cm^(2).The boost is attributed to the richness adsorption O ligand on NiFeO-LDH as revealed by XPS and Raman analysis.DFT calculation indicates formation of two possible types of oxygen ligands:adsorbed oxygen on the surface and exposed from hydroxyl group,lowered the desorption energy of CO_(2) product,which lead to the lowered onset potential.This strategy is further extended to NiFe-LDH nano sheet on Ni foam to reach a higher current density of 440 mA/cm^(2) of UOR at 1.8 V(RHE).The facile surface O ligand manipulation is also expected to give chance to many other electro-catalytic oxidations.展开更多
In this work,we fabricated an efficient pre-catalyst based on(Ni,Co)S2solid solution with hierarchical architecture and high porosity to boost urea oxidation reaction and electrocatalytic oxidation of organic small mo...In this work,we fabricated an efficient pre-catalyst based on(Ni,Co)S2solid solution with hierarchical architecture and high porosity to boost urea oxidation reaction and electrocatalytic oxidation of organic small molecules.The interaction between Ni and Co can optimize the electronic structure,resulting in the improved conductivity and accelerated charge transfer rate.The 2D/3D architecture can enrich more active species and endow the mass and electron transport to facilitate the surface oxidation and the following catalytic process.Post-structure and catalytic characterizations confirm the surface oxidation of(Ni,Co)S_(2)during the stability test,and the in-situ formed Co(Ni)based(oxy)hydroxides exhibit superior catalytic activity and facilitated charge transfer ability.As a result,the optimal(Ni,Co)S_(2)solid solution pre-catalyst displays facilitated catalytic behavior and good stability for multifunctional electrocatalytic oxidation,in which a high conversion of benzyl alcohol(97.50%),a good selectivity to benzoic acid(93.78%)and a satisfied faraday efficiency(91.86%)can be achieved.展开更多
基金financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52203070)the Open Fund of State Key Laboratory of New Textile Materials and Advanced Processing Technologies(FZ2022005)+2 种基金the Open Fund of Hubei Key Laboratory of Biomass Fiber and Ecological Dyeing and Finishing(STRZ202203)the financial support provided by the China Scholarship Council(CSC)Visiting Scholar Programfinancial support from Institute for Sustainability,Energy and Resources,The University of Adelaide,Future Making Fellowship。
文摘Urea holds promise as an alternative water-oxidation substrate in electrolytic cells.High-valence nickelbased spinel,especially after heteroatom doping,excels in urea oxidation reactions(UOR).However,traditional spinel synthesis methods with prolonged high-temperature reactions lack kinetic precision,hindering the balance between controlled doping and highly active two-dimensional(2D)porous structures design.This significantly impedes the identification of electron configuration-dependent active sites in doped 2D nickel-based spinels.Herein,we present a microwave shock method for the preparation of 2D porous NiCo_(2)O_(4)spinel.Utilizing the transient on-off property of microwave pulses for precise heteroatom doping and 2D porous structural design,non-metal doping(boron,phosphorus,and sulfur)with distinct extranuclear electron disparities serves as straightforward examples for investigation.Precise tuning of lattice parameter reveals the impact of covalent bond strength on NiCo_(2)O_(4)structural stability.The introduced defect levels induce unpaired d-electrons in transition metals,enhancing the adsorption of electron-donating amino groups in urea molecules.Simultaneously,Bode plots confirm the impact mechanism of rapid electron migration caused by reduced band gaps on UOR activity.The prepared phosphorus-doped 2D porous NiCo_(2)O_(4),with optimal electron configuration control,outperforms most reported spinels.This controlled modification strategy advances understanding theoretical structure-activity mechanisms of high-performance 2D spinels in UOR.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21872040,22162004)the Excellent Scholars and Innovation Team of Guangxi Universities,the Innovation Project of Guangxi Graduate Education(YCBZ2022038)the High-performance Computing Platform of Guangxi University.
文摘Exploitation of oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and urea oxidation reaction(UOR)catalysts with high activity and stability at large current density is a major challenge for energy-saving H_(2) production in water electrolysis.Herein,we use the pyridinic-N doping carbon layers coupled with tensile strain of FeNi alloy activated by NiFe_(2)O_(4)(FeNi/NiFe_(2)O_(4)@NC)for efficiently increasing the performance of water and urea oxidation.Due to the tensile strain effect on FeNi/NiFe_(2)O_(4)@NC,it provides a favorable modulation on the electronic properties of the active center,thus enabling amazing OER(η_(100)=196 mV)and UOR(E_(10)=1.32 V)intrinsic activity.Besides,the carbon-coated layers can be used as armor to prevent FeNi alloy from being corroded by the electrolyte for enhancing the OER/UOR stability at large current density,showing high industrial practicability.This work thus provides a simple way to prepare high-efficiency catalyst for activating water and urea oxidation.
基金funding and supporting this work through Research Partnership Program(No.RP-21-09-75)。
文摘From the perspective of electronic structure modulation,it is highly desirable to rationally design the active urea oxidation reaction(UOR)catalysts through interface engineering.The binary cooperative heterostructure systems have been shown significant enhancement for catalyzing UOR,but their performance still remains unsatisfactory for industrialization because of the unfavorable intermediate adsorption/desorption and deficient electron transfer channels.In response,taking the ternary cooperative Ni_5P_(4)/NiSe_(2)/Ni_(3)Se_(4) heterostructure as the proof-of-concept paradigm,a catalytic model is rationally put forward to elucidate the UOR promotion mechanism at the molecular level.The rod-like Ni_5P_(4)/NiSe_(2)/Ni_(3)Se_(4) nanoarrays with three-phase heterojunction are experimentally fabricated on Ni foam(named as Ni_5P_(4)/NiSe_(2)/Ni_(3)Se_(4)/NF)via simple two-step processes.The density functional theory calculations disclose that construction of Ni_5P_(4)/NiSe_(2)/Ni_(3)Se_(4) heterostructure model not only induce charge redistribution at the interfacial region for creating innumerable electron transfer channels,but also endow it with a moderate d-band center that could help to build a balance between adsorption and desorption of diverse UOR intermediates.Benefiting from the unique rod-like nanoarrays with large specific surface area and the optimized electronic structure,the well-designed Ni_5P_(4)/NiSe_(2)/Ni_(3)Se_(4)/NF could act as a robust catalyst for driving UOR at industrial-level current densities under tough environments,offering great potential for commercial applications.
基金the financial support of this study by the Ph.D.Student Research and Innovation Fund of the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(grant number GK6530260034)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(grant numbers:51572052)。
文摘Urea oxidation is a significant reaction for utilizing urea-rich wastewater or human urine as sustainable power sources which can ease the water eutrophication while generate electricity. A direct urea-hydrogen peroxide fuel cell is a new kind of fuel cell employing urea as fuel and hydrogen peroxide as oxidant which possesses a larger cell voltage. Herein, this work tries to promote the kinetics process of urea oxidation by preparing low-cost and high-efficient NiCo2S4 nanowires modified carbon sponge electrode. The carbon sponge used in this work with a similar three-dimensional multi-channel structure to Ni foam, is prepared by carbonizing recycled polyurethane sponge which is also a process of recycling waste. The performance of the prepared catalyst in an alkaline solution is investigated in a three-electrode system.With the introduction of Co element to the catalyst, a reduced initial urea oxidation potential and a high performance are obtained. Furthermore, a direct urea-hydrogen peroxide fuel cell is assembled using the NiCo2S4 nanowires modified carbon sponge anode. Results indicate that the prepared catalyst provides a chance to solve the current problems that hinder the development of urea electrooxidation(high initial urea oxidation potential, low performance, and high electrode costs).
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22109073, 22072067 and 21875112)the supports from National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biomedical Functional Materialsa project sponsored by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions。
文摘Urea oxidation reaction (UOR),which has favorable thermodynamic energy barriers compared with oxygen evolution reaction (OER),can provide more cost-effective electrons for the renewable energy systems,but is trapped by its sluggish UOR kinetics and intricate reaction intermediates formation/desorption process.Herein,we report a novel and effective electrocatalyst consisting of carbon cloth supported nitrogen vacancies-enriched Ce-doped Ni_(3)N hierarchical nanosheets (Ce-Ni_(3)N @CC) to optimize the flat-footed UOR kinetics,especially the stiff rate-determine CO_(2)desorption step of UOR.Upon the introduction of valance state variable Ce,the resultant nitrogen vacancies enriched Ce-Ni_(3)N @CC exhibits an enhanced UOR performance where the operation voltage requires only 1.31 V to deliver the current density of 10 mA cm^(-2),which is superior to that of Ni_(3)N @CC catalyst (1.36 V) and other counterparts.Density functional theory (DFT) results demonstrate that the incorporation of Ce in Ni_(3)N lowers the formation energy of nitrogen vacancies,resulting in rich nitrogen vacancies in Ce-Ni_(3)N @CC.Moreover,the nitrogen vacancies together with Ce doping optimize the local charge distribution around Ni sites,and balance the adsorption energy of CO_(2)in the rate-determining step (RDS),as well as affect the initial adsorption structure of urea,leading to the superior UOR catalytic performance of Ce-Ni_(3)N @CC.When integrating the Ce-Ni_(3)N catalyst in UOR//HER and UOR//CO_(2)R flow electrolyzer,both of them perform well with low operation voltage and robust long-term stability,proofing that the thermodynamically favorable UOR can act as a suitable substitute anodic reaction compared with that of OER.Our findings here not only provide a novel UOR catalyst but also offer a promising design strategy for the future development of energy-related devices.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant number 21622105 and 21931004)the Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin (Grant number 18JCJQJC47200)+2 种基金the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central UniversitiesNankai University (63201016 and 63201043)the Ministry of Education of China (Grant number B12015)。
文摘Two-dimensional coordination polymers(CPs) have aroused tremendous interest as electrocatalysts because the catalytic performance could be fine-tuned by their well-designed coordination layers with highly accessible and active metal sites.However,it remains great challenge for CP-based catalysts to be utilized for electrocatalytic oxidation reactions due to their inefficient activities and low catalytic stabilities.Herein,we applied a mixed-metal strategy to fabricate two-dimensional Co_xNi_(1-x)-CPs with dual active sites for electrocatalytic water and urea oxidation.By metal ratio regulation in the twodimensional layer,an optimized Co_(2/3)Ni_(1/3)-CP exhibits a water oxidation performance with an overpotential of 325 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm^(-2) and a Tafel slope of 86 mV dec^(-1) in alkaline solution for oxygen evolution reaction.Importantly,a lower potential than that of commercial RuO_(2) is observed over20 mA cm^(-2).Co_(2/3)Ni_(1/3)-CP also displays a potential of 1.381 V at 10 mA cm^(-2) for urea oxidation reaction and a Tafel slope of 124 mV dec^(-1).This mixed-metal strategy to maximize synergistic effect of different metal centers may ultimately lead to promising electrocatalysts for small molecule oxidation reaction.
基金the financial support from City University of Hong Kong Strategic Research Grant(SRG)(7005505)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(51601136 and 51604202)。
文摘The urea oxidization reaction(UOR)is an important anodic reaction in electro-catalytic energy conversion.However,the sluggish reaction kinetics and complex catalyst transformation in electrocatalysis require activity improvement and better mechanistic understanding of the state-of-the-art Ni(OH)_(2) catalyst.Herein,by utilizing low-temperature argon(Ar)plasma processing,tooth-wheel Ni(OH)_(2) nanosheets self-supported on Ni foam(Ni(OH)_(2)-Ar)are demonstrated to have improved UOR activity compared to conventional Ni(OH)_(2).The theoretical assessment confirms that the edge has a smaller cation vacancy formation energy than the basal plane,consequently explaining the structural formation.Operando and quasi-operando methods are employed to investigate the dynamic evolution of the Ni(OH)_(2) film in UOR.The crucial dehydrogenation products of Ni(OH)_(5)O^(-)intermediates are identified to be stable on the etched edge and explain the enhanced UOR in the low potential region.In addition,the dynamic active sites are monitored to elucidate the reaction mechanism in different potential ranges.
基金support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21901246,22105203 and 22175174)the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province(2020J01116 and 2021J06033)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2021TQ0332 and 2021M703215).
文摘Controllable design of the catalytic electrodes with hierarchical superstructures is expected to improve their electrochemical performance.Herein,a self-supported integrated electrode(NiCo-ZLDH/NF)with a unique hierarchical quaternary superstructure was fabricated through a self-sacrificing template strategy from the metal–organic framework(Co-ZIF-67)nanoplate arrays,which features an intriguing well-defined hierarchy when taking the unit cells of the NiCo-based layered double hydroxide(NiCo-LDH)as the primary structure,the ultrathin LDH nanoneedles as the secondary structure,the mesoscale hollow plates of the LDH nanoneedle arrays as the tertiary structure,and the macroscale three-dimensional frames of the plate arrays as the quaternary structure.Notably,the distinctive structure of NiCo-ZLDH/NF can not only accelerate both mass and charge transfer,but also expose plentiful accessible active sites with high intrinsic activity,endowing it with an excellent electrochemical performance for urea oxidation reaction(UOR).Specially,it only required the low potentials of 1.335,1.368 and 1.388 V to deliver the current densities of 10,100 and 200 mA cm^(-2),respectively,much superior to those for typical NiCo-LDH.Employing NiCo-ZLDH/NF as the bifunctional electrode for both anodic UOR and cathodic HER,an energy-saving electrolysis system was further explored which can greatly reduce the needed voltage of 213 mV to deliver the current density of 100 mA cm^(-2),as compared to the conventional water electrolysis system composed of OER.This work manifests that it is prospective to explore the hierarchically nanostructured electrodes and the innovative electrolytic technologies for high-efficiency electrocatalysis.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.52025013 and 22121005)the 111 Project(No.B12015),Haihe Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations,and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.
文摘The overall energy efficiency of electrochemical systems is severely hindered by the traditional anodic oxygen evolution reaction(OER).Utilizing urea oxidation reaction(UOR)with lower thermodynamic potential to replace OER provides a promising strategy to enhance the energy efficiency.Amorphous and heterojunctions electrocatalysts have been aroused extensive studies owing to their unique physicochemical properties and outperformed activity.Herein,we report a simple method to construct a novel crystalline-amorphous NiO-CrO_(x)heterojunction grown on Ni foam for UOR electrocatalyst.The NiO-CrO_(x)electrocatalyst displays excellent UOR performance with an ultralow working potential of 1.32 V at 10 mA·cm^(−2)and ultra-long stability about 5 days even at 100 mA·cm^(−2).In-situ Raman analysis and temperature-programmed desorption(TPD)measurement verify that the presence of the amorphous CrO_(x)phase can boost the reconstruction from NiO to active NiOOH species and enhance adsorption ability of urea molecule.Besides,the unique crystalline-amorphous interfaces are also benefit to improving the UOR performance.
基金The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University(IMSIU)for funding and supporting this work through Research Partnership Program(No.RP-21-09-75).
文摘Deliberate modulation of the electronic structure via interface engineering is one of promising perspectives to build advanced catalysts for urea oxidation reaction(UOR)at high current densities.However,it still remains some challenges originating from the intrinsically sluggish UOR dynamics and the high energy barrier for urea adsorption.In response,we report the coupled NiSe_(2)nanowrinkles with Ni_(5)P_(4)nanorods heterogeneous structure onto Ni foam(denoted as NiSe_(2)@Ni_(5)P_(4)/NF)through successive phosphorization and selenization strategy,in which the produced closely contacted interface could provide high-flux electron transfer pathways.Theoretical findings decipher that the fast charge transfer takes place at the interfacial region from Ni_(5)P_(4)to NiSe_(2),which is conducive to optimizing adsorption energy of urea molecules.As expected,the well-designed NiSe_(2)@Ni_(5)P_(4)/NF only requires the low potential of 1.402 V at the current density of 500 mA·cm^(-2).More importantly,a small Tafel slope of 27.6 mV·dec^(-1),a high turnover frequency(TOF)value of 1.037 s^(-1)as well as the prolonged stability of 950 h at the current density of 100 mA·cm^(-2)are also achieved.This study enriches the understanding on the electronic structure modulation via interface engineering and offers bright prospect to design advanced UOR catalysts.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52002412 and 22072186)the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (2021A1515010575)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Sun Yat-sen University (23lgbj017)。
文摘Exploiting high-efficiency Ni-based materials for electrocatalytic urea oxidation reaction(UOR) is critical for urea-related technologies.The catalytic site density,intrinsic activity,charge transfer,and mass diffusion determine overall electrocatalytic efficiency.Simultaneous modulation over the above four factors promises advanced electrocatalysis,yet challenging.Herein we propose a systematic regulation tactic over composition and geometric structure,constructing a nanocomposite comprising Mn doped Ni_(3)N nanoparticles anchored on reduced graphene oxide(rGO/Mn-Ni_(3)N),achieving elegant integration of four design principles into one,thereby eminently boosting UOR.Particularly,Mn doping in Ni_(3)N can modulate electronic state to induce intrinsic activity regulation.Combining metallic Mn-Ni_(3)N with rGO to engineer hierarchical architecture not only promotes charge transfer,but also enriches active site population.Intriguingly,improved hydrophilicity could impart better electrolyte penetration and gas escape.Consequently,such system-optimized rGO/Mn-Ni_(3)N demonstrates state-of-the-art-level UOR electrocatalysis.This work offers a novel paradigm to create advanced catalysts via systematic and integrated modulation.
基金supported by Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(B220202062)supported by Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China(92047201,92047303,52102237)+1 种基金National Science Funds for Creative Research Groups of China(51421006)supported by Postdoctoral Science Foundations of China and Jiangsu Province(2021M690861,2022T150183,2021K065A)。
文摘Urea oxidation reaction(UOR)is proposed as an exemplary half-reaction in renewable energy applications because of its low thermodynamical potential.However,challenges persist due to sluggish reaction kinetics and complex by-products separation.To this end,we introduce the lattice oxygen oxidation mechanism(LOM),propelling a novel UOR route using a modified CoFe layered double hydroxide(LDH)catalyst termed CFRO-7.Theoretical calculations and in-situ characterizations highlight the activated lattice oxygen(O_(L))within CFRO-7 as pivotal sites for UOR,optimizing the reaction pathway and accelerating the kinetics.For the urea overall electrolysis application,the LOM route only requires a low voltage of 1.54 V to offer a high current of 100 mA cm^(-2) for long-term utilization(>48 h).Importantly,the by-product NCO^(-)−is significantly suppressed,while the CO_(2)2/N_(2) separation is efficiently achieved.This work proposed a pioneering paradigm,invoking the LOM pathway in urea electrolysis to expedite reaction dynamics and enhance product selectivity.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.22209126)。
文摘Urea oxidation reaction(UOR) has been selected as substitution for oxygen evolution reaction ascribing to its low thermodynamic voltage as well as utilization of nickel as electrocatalyst.Herein,we report the formation of nickel single atoms(Ni-SAs) as exceptional bifunctional electrocatalyst toward UOR and hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) in urea-assisted water splitting.In UOR catalysis,Ni-SAs perform a superior catalytic performance than Ni-NP/NC and Pt/C ascribing to the formation of HOO-Ni-N_(4) structure evidenced by in-situ Raman spectroscopy,corresponding to a boosted mass activity by 175-fold at 1.4 V vs.RHE than Ni-NP/NC.Furthermore,Ni-SAs requires only 450 mV overpotential to obtain HER current density of 500 mA cm^(-2).136 mA cm^(-2) is achieved in urea-assisted water splitting at1.7 V for Ni-SAs,boosted by 5.7 times than Pt/C-IrO_(2) driven water splitting.
基金financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2017YFE0120500)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.51804223 and 51972129)+4 种基金CAS Key Laboratory of Nano-Bio Interface(No.19ZY01)the South Xinjiang Innovation and Development Program of Key Industries of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps(No.2020DB002)the Scientific Research Foundation of Wuhan Institute of Technology(No.K201761)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(Nos.HUST 2018KFYYXJJ051,2019KFYXMBZ076)the Hubei"Chu-Tian Young Scholar"Program。
文摘Highly active and low-cost catalytic electrodes for urea oxidation reaction(UOR)are always crucial for exploration of urea fuel cells.Herein,novel york-shell-structural Ni_(2)P/C na nosphere hybrids(Ni_(2)P/C-YS)are rationally constructed via a hydrothermal method and subsequent phosphidation treatment under different temperature ranging from 250℃to 450℃for UOR applications.In the in-situ constructed hollow york-shell structure,the coupling of conductive carbon materials and active Ni_(2)P allows numerous interfaces facilitating the electron transfer and thereby accelerating the catalytic kinetics.The results demonstrate that Ni_(2)P/C-YS-350 nanocomposite can boost the UOR process with a low potential of 1.366 V vs.RHE at a current density of 50 mA/cm^(2) in alkaline electrolyte and afford the superior durability with negligible potential decay after 23 h.This study presents that the carbon coated Ni_(2)P hybrid with the optimized crystallinities and hollow york-shell configurations can be a promising candidate for application in urea fuel cells.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31922057)the Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program from National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China(2019132614)+2 种基金the Outstanding Innovative Youth Training Program of Changsha(KQ2106050)The Hunan Provincial Innovation Foundation for Postgraduate(CX20210847)the Scientific Innovation Fund for Graduate of Central South University of Forestry and Technology(CX202101019)。
文摘Conferring surfaces with superhydrophilic/superaerophobic characteristics is desirable for synthesizing efficient gas reaction catalysts.However,complicated procedures,high costs,and poor interfaces hinder commercialization.Here,an integrated electrode with tunable wettability derived from a hierarchically porous wood scaffold was well designed for urea oxidation reaction(UOR).Interestingly,the outer surface of the wood lumen was optimized to the preferred wettability via stoichiometry to promote electrolyte permeation and gas escape.This catalyst exhibits outstanding activity and durability for UOR in alkaline media,requiring only a potential of 1.36 V(vs.RHE)to deliver 10 m A cm^(-2)and maintain its activity without significant decay for 60 h.These experiments and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the nickel(oxy)hydroxide layer formed through surface reconstruction of nickel nanoparticles improves the active sites and intrinsic activity.Moreover,the superwetting properties of the electrode promote mass transfer by guaranteeing substantial contact with the electrolyte and accelerating the separation of gaseous products during electrocatalysis.These findings provide the understanding needed to manipulate the surface wettability through rational design and fabrication of efficient electrocatalysts for gas-evolving processes.
基金the financial support from the Outstanding Youth Project of Guangdong Natural Science Foundation(Grant No.2021B1515020051)the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou(2019050001)+1 种基金the Special Fund Project of Science and Technology Application in Guangdong(2017B020240002)the National 111 project。
文摘Urea electro-oxidation reaction(UEOR)-boosted water electrolysis can supplant the kinetics-restricted oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and provide an energy-saving method of hydrogen generation.However,low UEOR activity and the poisoning issue of the catalyst limit its practical application.Herein,a simple coordination reaction is used to synthesize the dimethylglyoxime-NiⅡcomplex(DMGNiⅡ),which efficiently serves as the initial precursor to synthesize nitrogen-doped carbon nanorodsupported nickel phosphide nanoparticle(Ni_(2)P/N-C)nanocomposites.The density functional theory calculations and electrochemical results reveal that nitrogen doping can weaken the adsorption of hydrogen and the generated CO_(2)resulting in an enhancement of hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)and UEOR activity.In addition,N-doping can also promote the generation of Ni,which can further promote the UEOR and HER performance.Concretely,the overpotential for the HER on Ni_(2)P/N-C-2h nanocomposites is only 201 m V at 10 mA cm,and the onset potential of the UEOR on NiP/NC-2h nanocomposites is only 1.34 V.Additionally,the Ni_(2)P/N-Cnanocomposites also show excellent long-term stability due to the introduction of nitrogen-doped carbon material.Consequently,the symmetric Ni_(2)P/N-C-2h||Ni_(2)P/N-C-2h urea electrolyzer requires 1.41 V of electrolysis voltage for urea electrolysis,which can be applied in energy-saving H_(2) production and environment purification.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21972124,21603041)the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutionthe support of the Six Talent Peaks Project of Jiangsu Province(XCL-070-2018)。
文摘High valence state species are significant in the energy-relevant electrochemical oxidation reactions.Herein,the high active state of Ni^(3+)formation induced by Mo^(6+)and their efficient synergism in NiS_(2)-MoS_(2)hetero-nanorods powder catalyst with the rough layered structure are demonstrated,as proof of concept,for the urea-assisted water electrolysis.This catalyst can be derived from the sulfidation of NiMoO_(4) nanorods that can realize individual metal sulfides sufficiently mixing at a domain size in the nanoscale which creates lots of active sites and nanointerfaces.The high valence state of Mo^(6+)and Ni^(3+)formation and increased conductive phase of 1 T MoS_(2)in the hetero-nanorods compared to the counterpart pure phases are revealed by spectral study and microscopic analysis;high electrochemical surface area and active site exposure are found due to the nano-interface formation and layered rough nanosheets over the surface of nanorods.They show much higher catalytic performance than their pure phases for urea oxidation,including high catalytic activity,stability,charge transfer ability and catalytic kinetics resulting from more active Ni^(3+)species formation and electronic synergism of high valence metals.Transformation of 1 T MoS_(2)to Mo^(6+)and increased amount of Mo^(6+)and Ni^(3+)after stability test indicate their involvement and synergism for the catalysis reaction.The current work offers a novel understanding of the synergistic effect based on the high valence state synergism for heterogeneous catalysts in electrocatalysis.
基金financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2020YFB1713500)the Major Science and Technology Projects of Henan Province(No.221100230200)+3 种基金Program for Innovative Research Team(in Science and Technology)in University of Henan Province(No.23IRTSTHN009)the Project of Science and Technology Department of Henan Province(Nos.232102241034 and 222102240074)the Natural Science Foundation of Suzhou University of Science and Technology(No.XKQ2020002)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China(No.22KJB530009)。
文摘Urea oxidation reaction(UOR)is an auxiliary water electrolysis hydrogen production technology developed in recent years to replace oxygen evolution reaction and reduce energy consumption,which can produce hydrogen more efficiently by low theoretical potential,reduce the average cost of electrochemical hydrogen production,and is a frontier research hotspot for renewable hydrogen energy.Two-dimensional(2D)nanomaterials as electrocatalysts have many favorable potential,such as it can effectively reduce the resistivity of materials and increase the specific surface area with certainty.This paper reviews the application of 2D materials in UOR in alkaline electrolytes.And a cross-sectional comparison of various material performance data including overpotential,Tafel slope,electrochemical active surface area(ECSA)and it stability test was conducted,which could illustrate the differences between materials composed of different elements.In addition,the main challenges hindering the progress of research on 2D materials in urea electrocatalysis processes and promising materials in this field in future are summarized and prospected.It is believed that this review will contribute to designing and analyzing highperformance 2D urea electrocatalysts for water splitting.
基金This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2021YFA1600800)the Funds fromConstruction of High Level Universities and Key Disciplines of Shenzhen University(No.860-000002110291).
文摘Urea oxidation reaction(UOR)provides a method for hydrogen production besides wastewater treatment,but the current limited catalytic activity has prevented the application.Herein,we develop a novel H_(2)O_(2) treatment strategy for tailoring the surface oxygen ligand of NiFe-layered double hydroxides(NiFe-LDH).The sample after H_(2)O_(2) treatment(NiFeOLDH)shows significant enhancement on UOR efficiency,with the potential of 1.37 V(RHE)to reach a current density of 10 mA/cm^(2).The boost is attributed to the richness adsorption O ligand on NiFeO-LDH as revealed by XPS and Raman analysis.DFT calculation indicates formation of two possible types of oxygen ligands:adsorbed oxygen on the surface and exposed from hydroxyl group,lowered the desorption energy of CO_(2) product,which lead to the lowered onset potential.This strategy is further extended to NiFe-LDH nano sheet on Ni foam to reach a higher current density of 440 mA/cm^(2) of UOR at 1.8 V(RHE).The facile surface O ligand manipulation is also expected to give chance to many other electro-catalytic oxidations.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.21927811,51602182,21808129)the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province,China(No.ZR2021ME032)。
文摘In this work,we fabricated an efficient pre-catalyst based on(Ni,Co)S2solid solution with hierarchical architecture and high porosity to boost urea oxidation reaction and electrocatalytic oxidation of organic small molecules.The interaction between Ni and Co can optimize the electronic structure,resulting in the improved conductivity and accelerated charge transfer rate.The 2D/3D architecture can enrich more active species and endow the mass and electron transport to facilitate the surface oxidation and the following catalytic process.Post-structure and catalytic characterizations confirm the surface oxidation of(Ni,Co)S_(2)during the stability test,and the in-situ formed Co(Ni)based(oxy)hydroxides exhibit superior catalytic activity and facilitated charge transfer ability.As a result,the optimal(Ni,Co)S_(2)solid solution pre-catalyst displays facilitated catalytic behavior and good stability for multifunctional electrocatalytic oxidation,in which a high conversion of benzyl alcohol(97.50%),a good selectivity to benzoic acid(93.78%)and a satisfied faraday efficiency(91.86%)can be achieved.