Synergistic Engineering of Doping and Vacancy in Ni(OH) 2 to Boost Urea Electrooxidation

Abstract Nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH) 2 ) has been identified as one of the best promising electrocatalyst candidates for urea oxidation reaction (UOR) due to its flexible structures, wide compositions, and abundant 3d electrons under alkaline conditions. However, its layered structure with limited exposed edge sites severely hinders further improvement of the UOR activity. Herein, oxygen‐vacancy rich and vanadium doped Ni(OH) 2 (O vac ‐V‐Ni(OH) 2 ) catalysts are prepared and synergistically boost the urea electrooxidation. Vanadium doping contributes more exposed active sites, and simultaneously generates oxygen vacancies, switching the rate‐determining step of UOR from *COOH deprotonation to the N–H bond…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 52025013, 22121005
• HE
  Higher Education Discipline Innovation Project

  Award: B12015
• FR
  Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities