Interface Engineering of MOF-Derived NiMoO4@NiFeP Core-Shell Nanorods for Energy-Saving Hydrogen Evolution via Urea Electrolysis.

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 NiMoO4@NiFeP core-shell nanorods as electrocatalysts are constructed. Due to the integration of the advantages of the interface synergistic effect between the NiMoO4 core and NiFeP shell, the as-fabricated NiMoO4@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 NiMoO4@NiFeP electrocatalyst paves the way to explore practical applications of energy-saving hydrogen production.