Microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of NiMoO4 nanorods for high-performance urea electrooxidation

Abstract

A large surface area with high active site exposure is desired for the nano-scaled electrocatalysts fabrication. Herein, taking NiMoO4 nanorods for example, we demonstrated the advantages of the microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis method compared to the traditional hydrothermal approaches. Both monoclinic structured NiMoO4 in the nanorods morphology are found for these samples but it is more time-saving and efficient in the Ni-Mo synergism for the catalyst obtained by microwave-assisted hydrothermal syntheses method. When evaluated for urea oxidation, the current density can reach 130.79 mA/cm2 at 1.54 V, about 2.4 times higher than that of the counterpart catalyst (54.08 mA/cm2). Moreover, largely improved catalytic stability, catalytic kinetics and rapid charge transfer ability are found on the catalyst obtained by the microwave-assisted approach. The high catalytic performance can be attributed to the high surface area and active site exposure of NiMoO4 nanorods formed by microwave irradiation. Considering the less time, facile synthesis condition and efficient components synergism, the microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis method might work better for the nanostructure electrocatalysts fabrication.