02232nas a2200277 4500008004100000022001400041245016100055210006900216260000800285490000700293520124700300653002101547653003701568653002801605653001901633653002001652100002001672700001701692700001801709700002501727700001701752700001801769700002101787700001701808856012901825 2026 eng d a1613-681000aDynamic and resilient cobalt copper nitride and iron nitride heterostructure aided energy economic urea electrolysis in anion exchange membrane electrolyzer0 aDynamic and resilient cobalt copper nitride and iron nitride het cMAY0 v223 a

Urea oxidation reaction (UOR) is recognized for energy-efficient hydrogen production, which nonetheless requires a meticulously designed electrocatalyst with active sites for intermediates adsorption and gaseous products desorption to fully exploit its advantages. Herein, we design the heterostructure consisting of cobalt copper nitride and iron nitride (Co3CuN/FexNy) as an efficient and trifunctional electrocatalyst, which requires 1.35 VRHE, 1.55 VRHE, and 0.23 VRHE potentials to reach 100 mA cm-2 current density for UOR, oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), respectively. Unlike the conventional UOR selective electrocatalyst, Co3CuN/FexNy not only facilitates the UOR -> OER switching but also shows self-regulatory ability in UOR <-> OER. The Density Functional Theory (DFT) study explained that while Co3CuN promoted the adsorption of CO(NH2)2 and H2O, FexNy facilitated CO2 and N2 desorption, resulting in accelerated UOR and HER kinetics. The electrocatalyst also demonstrated outstanding performance in a urea-coupled AEM electrolyzer with about 20% of power saving and great electrolyzer efficiency, further highlighting its potential for industry-relevant applications.

10aAEM electrolyzer10aheterostructured electrocatalyst10areversible adaptability10aurea oxidation10aWater oxidation1 aSinha, Nibedita1 aDas, Chandni1 aEr, Chen-Chen1 aUrkude, Rajashri, R.1 aPal, Santanu1 aGhosh, Biplab1 aChai, Siang-Piao1 aRoy, Poulomi uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/dynamic-and-resilient-cobalt-copper-nitride-and-iron-nitride-heterostructure-aided-energy