Interfacial Coupling of NiP_x/MoS₂/CC Hybrid Catalysts for Effective Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Urea and Energy-Saving Hydrogen Evolution

Urea oxidation reactions (UOR) coupled with hydrogen generation simultaneously is a promising strategy for developing sustainable energy conversion technologies, but the complexity of urea oxidation dynamics and the high coupling hydrogen evolution potential through a single catalyst limit its industrial application. Herein, a kind of novel bifunctional NiPx/MoS2/CC hybrid catalyst can be fabricated via a hydrothermal method followed by a facile in-situ electrodeposition process. The prepared NiPx/MoS2/CC catalyst exhibits an overpotential of only 88 mV at 10 mA cm(-2) for HER while the potential for UOR was only 1.36 V at 10 mA cm(-2). Further, the urea electrolytic cell assembled of the NiPx/MoS2/CC catalyst displays low potential (1.45 V@10 mA cm(-2)) and better long-term durability. The improved electrocatalytic performances are mainly attributed to the intimately coupled interface between NiPx and MoS2, enormously improving the conductivity and increasing the heterogenous interface active area. Additionally, the closely incorporated heterogeneous interfaces trigger charge redistribution, which induces the fast electron transfer from the NiPx to MoS2. In a word, the present results can provide a feasible research strategy for design advanced multi-functional catalysts via interfacial engineering for clean energy conversion applications.