Water splitting using urea, which includes hydrogen evolution and urea oxidation, can produce high-quality hydrogen. However, the lack of suitable designs for highly efficient and economical multifunctional electrocatalysts hinders its commercial exploitation. In this work, we introduce novel hollow and porous chrome-cobalt MOFs derived chromium-cobalt oxide/carbon composites as electrode materials for urea splitting using a simple hydrothermal method and thermal processes to facilitate the electrocatalytic processes of UOR. The unique structure of these MOFs derived materials with a large number of active sites, improved electron and mass transfer, and modular electronic structure provide strong electrocatalytic performance for UOR processes. This catalyst requires only 58 mV to achieve 10 mA/cm2 in UOR, and shows good stability over 12 h, making it one of the most efficient catalysts for urea cleavage. This efficient approach to fabricating these MOFs derived materials offers a novel way to design high-performance catalysts in sustainable and environmentally-friendly energy utilization.
