Shape‐Dependent Electrocatalytic Activity of Carbon Reinforced Ni 2 P Hybrids Toward Urea Electrocatalysis

Recently, urea has aroused considerable interest as a potential hydrogen carrier to supply renewable energy; thus, inexpensive and highly active electrocatalysts are desirable for efficient urea electrocatalysis. Herein, carbon‐doped heterostructured Ni 2 P (C@Ni 2 P) nanocomposites are developed via a one‐step hydrothermal approach with surface engineering of peapod‐assisted nanorods (NRs‐peapod) and nanoparticles (NPs). The catalytic activities of the as‐prepared hybrids are studied with a robust emphasis on the surface structure–activity relationship. As expected, the embedded carbon matrices improve the electronic configuration of the resultant hybrids. Besides, the collaborative effects of both Ni 2 P and carbon platforms reduce the electron pathways and further promote the urea electro‐oxidation process. In particular, C@Ni 2 P NRs‐peapod present higher activity in terms of the oxidation current density and onset potential compared with C@Ni 2 P NPs, which is largely assigned to the corresponding high surface area and hence accessible electroactive centers. Moreover, the longitudinal orientation of the NRs‐peapod with a preferable porous feature may decrease the charge transfer resistance and facilitate electron/ion diffusion along the electrode surface and at electrode/electrolyte interfaces, indicating their potential for future utilization in direct urea fuel cells.