Lattice Strain and Built‐In Field Synergistically Boost Urea Oxidation via Dynamic NiOOH Mediation at Multiphase Heterointerfaces
- 1Guangxi Key Laboratory of Clean Pulp & Papermaking and Pollution Control School of Light Industry and Food Engineering Guangxi University Nanning China
- 2State Key Laboratory of Materials Processing & Die and Mould Technology School of Materials Science and Engineering Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wuhan China
- 3Laboratory of Alternative Energy Conversion Systems Department of Mechanical Engineering School of Engineering University of Thessaly Pedion Areos Volos Greece
Abstract
The practical application of nickel‐based heterojunction electrocatalysts for the urea oxidation reaction (UOR) is impeded by insufficient active sites and sluggish multi‐step reaction kinetics. Herein, a sulfur‐doped lignin‐derived carbon encapsulated Ni‐NiO‐MoO2 micro‐nano array (Ni‐NiO‐MoO2@SC) is fabricated to tackle these issues. Experimental and theoretical results demonstrate that the multiphase heterointerfaces spontaneously generate a built‐in electric field due to the distinct work function and electronic structure of each component, and simultaneously induce lattice strain, which synergistically optimizes the electronic structure and accelerates the dynamic formation of active NiOOH species. In‐situ electrochemical characterizations and density functional theory calculations further confirm that the engineered interface promotes urea adsorption, facilitates N─N coupling and C─N bond cleavage, expedites *COOH intermediate desorption, and avoids excessive accumulation of NiOOH. Consequently, Ni‐NiO‐MoO2@SC delivers superior UOR activity with low potentials of 1.34/1.40 V at 10/500 mA cm−2, respectively. Moreover, the sulfur‐doped carbon encapsulation and micro‐nano array architecture endow the catalyst with excellent corrosion resistance and mass transport capability, realizing long‐term stability (500 mA cm−2 at 1.53 V for 500 h) in membrane electrode assemblies. This work provides a versatile interface engineering and encapsulation strategy for high‐performance nickel‐based electrocatalysts toward urea electrolysis and beyond.
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BibTeX
@article{li2026lattice,
title = {{Lattice Strain and Built‐In Field Synergistically Boost Urea Oxidation via Dynamic NiOOH Mediation at Multiphase Heterointerfaces}},
author = {Jiawei Li and Liancen Li and Guangfu Qian and Zishan Cai and Yiping Cao and Yihao Xu and Ruyu Zhang and Jinli Chen and Changzhou Chen and Panagiotis Tsiakaras},
journal = {Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1002/adma.74790},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.74790},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Lattice Strain and Built‐In Field Synergistically Boost Urea Oxidation via Dynamic NiOOH Mediation at Multiphase Heterointerfaces
AU - Jiawei Li
AU - Liancen Li
AU - Guangfu Qian
AU - Zishan Cai
AU - Yiping Cao
AU - Yihao Xu
AU - Ruyu Zhang
AU - Jinli Chen
AU - Changzhou Chen
AU - Panagiotis Tsiakaras
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
JO - Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
DO - 10.1002/adma.74790
UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.74790
AB - The practical application of nickel‐based heterojunction electrocatalysts for the urea oxidation reaction (UOR) is impeded by insufficient active sites and sluggish multi‐step reaction kinetics. Herein, a sulfur‐doped lignin‐derived carbon encapsulated Ni‐NiO‐MoO2 micro‐nano array (Ni‐NiO‐MoO2@SC) is fabricated to tackle these issues. Experimental and theoretical results demonstrate that the multiphase heterointerfaces spontaneously generate a built‐in electric field due to the distinct work function and electronic structure of each component, and simultaneously induce lattice strain, which synergistically optimizes the electronic structure and accelerates the dynamic formation of active NiOOH species. In‐situ electrochemical characterizations and density functional theory calculations further confirm that the engineered interface promotes urea adsorption, facilitates N─N coupling and C─N bond cleavage, expedites *COOH intermediate desorption, and avoids excessive accumulation of NiOOH. Consequently, Ni‐NiO‐MoO2@SC delivers superior UOR activity with low potentials of 1.34/1.40 V at 10/500 mA cm−2, respectively. Moreover, the sulfur‐doped carbon encapsulation and micro‐nano array architecture endow the catalyst with excellent corrosion resistance and mass transport capability, realizing long‐term stability (500 mA cm−2 at 1.53 V for 500 h) in membrane electrode assemblies. This work provides a versatile interface engineering and encapsulation strategy for high‐performance nickel‐based electrocatalysts toward urea electrolysis and beyond.
SN - 0935-9648
SN - 1521-4095
ER -