Disentangling the catalytic origin in defect engineered 2D NiCoMoS@Ni(CN)2 core-shell heterostructure for energy-saving hydrazine-assisted water oxidation

The major hindrance to efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen generation from water electrolysis is the sluggish kinetics with corresponding large overvoltage of oxygen evolution reaction. Herein, we report a defective 2D NiCoMoS@Ni(CN) 2 core-shell heterostructure derived from Hofmann-type MOF as an efficient and durable high-performance noble metal-free electrocatalyst for hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) in alkaline media. The sluggish oxygen evolution reaction was replaced with a more thermodynamically favourable HzOR, enabling energy-saving electrochemical hydrogen production with 2D NiCoMoS@Ni(CN) 2 acting as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for anodic HzOR and cathodic hydrogen generation. Operating at room temperature, the two-electrode electrolyzer delivers 100 mA cm −2 from a cell voltage of just 257 mV, with strong long-term electrochemical durability and nearly 100% Faradaic efficiency for hydrogen evolution in 1.0 M KOH aqueous solution with 0.5 M hydrazine. The density functional theory (DFT) was employed to investigate the origin of catalytic performance and showed that high vacancy creation within the heterointerface endowed NiCoMoS@Ni(CN) 2 with favourable functionalities for excellent catalytic performance. • A new approach of defect engineering in MOF-based nanocomposites is presented. • The synergistic interaction among different components promotes hydrazine-assisted water oxidation. • DFT was utilized to disentangle the active sites and mechanistic pathways for hydrogen production via hydrazine oxidation reaction. • The two electrode electrolyser proves superior to platinium/ruthenium oxide redox couple.