Adaptive Active Site Turning for Superior OER and UOR on Ir‐Ni3N Catalyst

Abstract Renewable energy‐based electrocatalytic oxidation for hydrogen production in complex reaction environments such as industrial wastewater and human urine demands high‐performing catalysts to conduct switchable urea oxidation reactions (UOR) and traditional oxygen evolution reactions (OER). Here, a novel bifunctional nanosheet electrocatalyst is reported, Ir‐Ni 3 N, which exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity for both OER and UOR under alkaline conditions. Specifically, the overpotentials at 100 mA cm −2 for OER and UOR are 1.59 and 1.37 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) respectively, which are superior to most of the recently reported nickel‐based catalysts. Accordingly, a comprehensive mechanism for competitive catalytic activities of Ni and Ir sites in Ir‐Ni 3 N and the switch between OER and UOR that guarantees consistent hydrogen production is proposed. This study provides a feasible strategy for continuous hydrogen production aided by reagent‐adaptive electrocatalysts in urea‐containing wastewater.