Novel nickel-doped CoMnxSe2 Chalcogenides for boosting hydrogen evolution and urea oxidation

In the process of electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution, the use of non-polluting and cost-effective dual-functional non-precious metal catalysts is crucial. This study initially prepared CoMnSe2 on nickel foam via a solvothermal method. By adjusting the doping ratio of Mn, the catalytic performance is further optimized, with the best performance achieved at a Mn doping level of 0.3 mmol (CoMn0.3Se2). To enhance its catalytic kinetics, a metal nickel layer is deposited on CoMn0.3Se2/NF through electrodeposition, and the influence of electrodeposition time (300, 500, 700 s) on its performance was investigated. The results demonstrated that at an electrodeposition time of 500 s, NiCoMn0.3Se2/NF-5 exhibited the best electrocatalytic performance. For the hydrogen evolution reaction, it reached −193 mV@100 mA cm−2, while for the urea oxidation reaction, it achieved 1.395 V@100 mA cm−2. A dual-electrode electrolysis cell is established using Ni–CoMn0.3Se2/NF-5 as both the cathode and anode. In comparison, the cell voltage (1.6 V at 100 mA cm−2) is lower than other materials. The research provides a creative solution for the synthesis of high-performance dual-function catalysts.