Interface Engineering of MOF-Derived NiMoO<sub>4</sub>@NiFeP Core–Shell Nanorods for Energy-Saving Hydrogen Evolution via Urea Electrolysis
Yikang Cong, Kai Chen, Xingnan Chen, Wei Xu, Anqi Cai, Tingting Li
Abstract
The development of multifunctional and durable electrocatalysts for hydrogen energy production via an energy-saving avenue is urgently desired. Urea electrolysis by substituting the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with a more oxidizable urea oxidation reaction (UOR) has been widely used to realize energy-saving hydrogen production. Herein, metal–organic framework (MOF)-derived interface-engineered NiMoO 4 @NiFeP core–shell nanorods as electrocatalysts are constructed. Due to the integration of the advantages of the interface synergistic effect between the NiMoO 4 core and NiFeP shell, the as-fabricated NiMoO 4 @NiFeP electrocatalyst demonstrates remarkable electrocatalytic performance toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), OER, and UOR. In the urea electrolysis system, an ultralow cell voltage of 1.30 V is needed to drive the current density of 10 mA cm –2, which is 140 mV lower than that of the conventional overall water splitting system. The cost-efficient and high-performance NiMoO 4 @NiFeP electrocatalyst paves the way to explore practical applications of energy-saving hydrogen production.