Tungsten carbide modified nickel (Ni-WC/C) catalyst is synthesized through the sequential impregnation method and evaluated for the electrooxidation of urea in alkaline electrolyte. Both the activity and stability of Ni are enhanced by the introduction of WC. In situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) measurements combined with electrochemical analysis were used to provide a better understanding of the mechanism for urea electrooxidation on the Ni-based catalysts. The formation of CO₂ and NCO⁻ species is detected during urea oxidation, and the synergistic effect resulting from the interaction of Ni and WC is also proposed. The Ni-WC/C electrode contributes to the improved C–N bond cleavage in urea than that on Ni/C, resulting in a higher activity. Furthermore, the introduction of WC also enhances the anti-poisoning ability, thus promoting more complete oxidation of urea to produce CO₂, which leads to a higher energy conversion efficiency than that on Ni/C. This work provides a new strategy for designing highly efficient catalysts for urea electrooxidation.

通过顺序浸渍法合成了碳化钨改性的镍（Ni-WC / C）催化剂，并对其在碱性电解液中尿素的电氧化进行了评价。WC的引入可以提高Ni的活性和稳定性。使用原位傅立叶变换红外（FTIR）测量与电化学分析相结合，可以更好地理解Ni基催化剂上尿素电氧化的机理。CO的形成₂和NCO ^-尿素氧化过程中会检测到各种物种，并且还提出了Ni和WC相互作用产生的协同效应。与在Ni / C电极上相比，Ni-WC / C电极可改善尿素中C–N键的裂解，从而提高活性。此外，WC的引入还增强了抗中毒能力，从而促进了尿素的更完全氧化以产生CO ₂，这导致了比Ni / C更高的能量转换效率。这项工作为设计高效的尿素电氧化催化剂提供了新的策略。