Issue 17, 2022

A review of hetero-structured Ni-based active catalysts for urea electrolysis

Abstract

Urea electrooxidation has received considerable attention because of its tremendous practical application in environmental protection and energy regeneration. The catalytic performance of urea oxidation as an electrochemical reaction is highly determined by catalysts, and Ni-based catalysts have been intensively studied due to their low cost, facile structure tuning, and easy active phase formation based on the electrochemical-chemical mechanism. The Ni catalyst for urea oxidation can be largely improved by rational surface/interface structure optimization via various surface engineering approaches that provide more active sites, desirable crystal phase, and defects promoting the mass and electron transfer for the catalytic reaction. Due to significant recent advances, herein, we review the recent advances of heterostructured Ni-based active catalysts for urea electrolysis. The concerns about general heterostructured catalyst engineering principles in terms of crystal phase orientation, increased bond polarity, high-valent Ni formation, increased active surface area, electronic effect, and ensemble effect are first presented, and then theoretical analysis for the promotion effect is briefly demonstrated. Following this, specific hetero-structured Ni-based catalysts classified according to hetero-element doping, hetero-metallic alloying, and multi-component heterostructure construction are mainly discussed and analyzed with some typical examples. Finally, we present the problems, challenges, and perspective comments for the subject topic. It is noted that each component has its functionality to contribute to catalytic reactions, and the study on rationally integrated components to fully make use of their strengths and make up for each other's weaknesses is still a great challenge. Hopefully, this review could be helpful and instructive for the literature survey of heterostructured Ni-based catalysts in urea electrolysis.

Graphical abstract: A review of hetero-structured Ni-based active catalysts for urea electrolysis

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
06 Jan 2022
Accepted
05 Apr 2022
First published
06 Apr 2022

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2022,10, 9308-9326

A review of hetero-structured Ni-based active catalysts for urea electrolysis

J. Li, S. Wang, S. Sun, X. Wu, B. Zhang and L. Feng, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2022, 10, 9308 DOI: 10.1039/D2TA00120A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements