In situ-grown Co3O4 nanorods on carbon cloth for efficient electrocatalytic oxidation of urea

Co3O4 nanorods were successfully synthesized by a facile two-step method and showed outstanding electrochemical performances in KOH and urea electrolyte. The Co3O4 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/cm2 for HER and urea oxidation reaction potential (UOR vs RHE) of 1.62 V at 10 mA/cm2. Remarkably, the assembled electrolyzer with Co3O4/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.