In situ-grown Co ₃O ₄ nanorods on carbon cloth for efficient electrocatalytic oxidation of urea

摘要

Co_(3)O_(4)nanorods were successfully synthesized by a facile two-step method and showed outstanding electrochemical performances in KOH and urea electrolyte. The Co_(3)O_(4)nanorods showed high purity phase and covered the surface of carbon cloth. As the electrode materials for hydrogen generation, it only required the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) overpotential of 0.46?V to deliver the current density of 40?mA/cm~(2)for HER and urea oxidation reaction potential (UOR vs RHE) of 1.62?V at 10?mA/cm~(2). Remarkably, the assembled electrolyzer with Co_(3)O_(4)/CC and Pt foil as two electrodes demonstrated low potentials and a stable long cycle life. Therefore, the study displays a promising direction to explore the practical and effective ways for hydrogen production by overall urea electrolysis. Graphic abstract