Durable Natural Urine Electrolysis Enabled by Lewis Acid-Tailored Interfacial Microenvironment
Date
2026
Authors
Gao, X.
Hu, J.
Zhang, S.
Wang, P.
Wang, Z.
Chen, P.
Zheng, Y.
Qiao, S.-Z.
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Journal article
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Advanced Materials, 2026; 38(9):e21945-1-e21945-10
Statement of Responsibility
Xintong Gao, Jun Hu, Shuai Zhang, Pengtang Wang, Zekang Wang, Ping Chen, Yao Zheng, Shi-Zhang Qiao
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Abstract
Electrochemical urea oxidation reaction (UOR) is a promising alternative to sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) for hydrogen production. However, its reliance on costly pure urea limits practical application. To address this issue, urine oxidation reaction (UᵣOR) has been proposed, which utilizes natural urine as a cost-free feedstock. Nevertheless, due to the complex ionic matrix of urine, UᵣOR suffers from catalyst acidification and chloride-induced corrosion, limiting long-term stability. Here, an interfacial microenvironment regulation strategy by modifying common Ni₂P catalyst with various hard Lewis acids (LA) is reported. The optimal V₂O₅-δ-Ni₂P hybrid exhibits remarkable UrOR activity (1.62 V at 3 A cm-2) and long-term durability (1000 h). Mechanistic analysis reveals that LA component selectively enriches interfacial OH- ions, effectively suppressing the adsorption of impurities, especially Cl- ions, and the generation of N-chlorourea byproduct. Notably, a near-kilowatt-scale natural urine electrolysis is first verified in a flow electrolyser (18 cells, area of 1386 cm²), achieving a high H₂ production rate of 115.84 L h¯¹ with a urine purification rate of 97.41%, while recovering nitrogen-rich compound fertilizers (NH₄Cl/KCl). Furthermore, the electrolyzer exhibits broad applicability across wastewater with various urea concentrations (5-330 mM) and Cl¯ions concentrations (0.5-500 mM), including challenging 100 L wheatfield effluents.
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