Interfacial engineering was employed to construct a large intimately coupled heterogenous interface between NiP_x and MoS₂, interfacial coupling can ensure seamless heterogeneous interfaces were formed during the deposition process, which enables fast electron transfer at the interface and provides rich active sites, thus improving both UOR and HER performance.

Abstract

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 NiP_x/MoS₂/CC hybrid catalyst can be fabricated via a hydrothermal method followed by a facile in-situ electrodeposition process. The prepared NiP_x/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 NiP_x/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 NiP_x 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 NiP_x 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.