Controlling the electronic structure of Fe-MOF electrocatalyst for enhanced water splitting and urea oxidation: A plasma-assisted approach.

Fe-MOF/FF nanorods with efficient water splitting and all-urea electrocatalytic activity were successfully synthesized by a strategy combining hydrothermal method and advanced plasma treatment technology. [Display omitted] • Fe-MOF/FF-5 were successfully fabricated through an ingenious combination of hydrothermal and plasma treatment strategies.. • Rational plasma treatment can modulate the electronic structure, electrochemical surface area of Fe-MOF/FF. • The fabricated Fe-MOF/FF-5 present efficient water splitting and overall urea electrocatalytic performance. The design of high-performance electrocatalysts for water splitting and urea oxidation reactions requires effective regulation of their electronic structure and electrochemical surface area (ECSA). In this study, we developed an in-situ grown Fe-MOF electrocatalyst on Fe foam (FF) by using a combination of easy hydrothermal synthesis and advanced plasma technology (Fe-MOF/FF). By varying the plasma treatment time, we could tailor the surface morphology and electronic structure of the Fe-MOF/FF microrods. Meanwhile, density functional theory (DFT) calculations investigated the catalytic mechanism, revealing that plasma-treated Fe-MOF/FF has a lower energy barrier for water splitting and H* adsorption during the HER process, and higher catalytic activity for UOR. Additionally, the electronic density of optimized Fe-MOF/FF is significantly expanded near the Fermi level. Remarkably, our catalysts achieved exceptional activity in both water splitting and urea electrolysis, requiring only 1.54 V and 1.472 V, respectively, at 10 mA cm−2, with excellent stability. Our findings highlight the potential of plasma technology as a powerful tool for developing multifunctional electrocatalysts for clean energy and industrial wastewater treatment applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]