Electrochemical simultaneous hydrogen evolution and nitrate reduction over Te doped Cu2O/NiMo catalysts

Developing efficient electrochemical hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) and nitrate reduction reactions (NitRR) is of great significance for alleviating the growing energy demand and environmental pollution. In this study, Te–Cu 2 O/NiMo electrocatalyst with nanospheres structure was successfully synthesized on foam nickel molybdenum substrate by electrodeposition, and its performance in electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and nitrate reduction reaction (NitRR) was further evaluated. In a 1.0 M KOH solution, the Te–Cu 2 O/NiMo catalyst exhibits good catalytic activity at a current density of 10 mA cm −2 , with an overpotential of 140.67 mV and a Tafel slope of 136.72 mV dec −1 . Further testing showed that at current densities above 120 mA cm −2 , the performance of the catalyst even surpassed that of commercial Pt/C. In addition, Te–Cu 2 O/NiMo exhibits good stability during electrolysis that is up to 60 h. During the nitrate reduction process, the catalyst increased the nitrate removal rate to 65 % within 180 min of constant current electrolysis, while achieving a NH 4 + - N conversion efficiency of 59.1 %, with almost negligible NO 2 − - N generation. In summary, Te–Cu 2 O/NiMo catalyst exhibits dual functional advantages in HER and NitRR, providing new ideas and application prospects for the development of efficient electrocatalysts.