Pairing N-Vacancy and Adjacent Ni-Sites in the Local Microenvironment to Regulate the Urea Oxidation Reaction Pathway With Enhanced Kinetics.

ABSTRACT: The urea oxidation reaction (UOR) is a promising approach for replacing the oxygen evolution reaction in hydrogen production, offering lower energy consumption. However, the kinetics of Ni-based catalysts for UOR are hindered by the high formation potential of NiOOH and its repeated transition with Ni(OH)₂. In this study, a local microenvironment featuring electron-deficient N-vacancies (V_N) paired with adjacent electron-rich Ni-sites on Ni₃N (Ni₃N-V_N) to enhance UOR kinetics is constructed. The electron-rich Ni-sites significantly reduce the energy barrier for NiOOH formation and promote the conversion of Ni(OH)₂ to NiOOH. Meanwhile, the V_N sites induce low charge transfer resistance in Ni₃N, facilitat

SUBMITTER: Ji C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12272033 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature