Facile fabrication of bifunctional SnO–NiO heteromixture for efficient electrocatalytic urea and water oxidation in urea-rich waste water.

Heterostructured transition metal oxide hybrid have more attention in energy saving and environmental related field due to their higher electro-catalytic activity. In this work, we demonstrated SnO decorated with NiO nanocrystal electrocatalyst is successfully synthesized through solvothermal method and well characterized by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Physical characterizations confirm that spherical shape of SnO nanoparticles are homogeneously dispersed on the surface of NiO. The kinetic study of catalytic performance towards urea oxidation reaction were measured by liner sweep voltammetry and chronoamprometry. As proposed catalyst to facilitate the rate of urea oxidation reaction can increase by SnO doped NiO catalyst. The urea oxidation on SnO–NiO nanostructured modified electrode exhibits lower onset potential of 1.12 V and enhancement of current with tafel slope of 150 mV dec−1. The obtained results demonstrated the synthesized SnO–NiO anode material could be promising electrode for urea-rich containing wastewater remediation and hydrogen production from wastewater. [Display omitted] • The two-dimensional SnO–NiO catalyst were prepared by solvothermal method. • As synthesized catalyst were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD and XPS. • SnO–NiO showed low onset potential of 1.53 mV for OER in 1 M KOH. • SnO–NiO showed low onset potential of 1.12 mV for UOR in 1 M KOH +0.33 M Urea. • SnO–NiO anode could be promising electrode for wastewater remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]