General synthesis of transition metal nitride arrays by ultrafast flash joule heating within 500 ms

Transition metal nitrides (TMNs) are considered as viable alternatives to noble metal catalysts owing to their versatile electronic structure and favorable catalytic performance. However, the conventional synthetic processes for TMNs suffer from high energy consumption and low production yield. In this study, a range of TMNs and their hetero-composite arrays were successfully synthesized via an ultrafast flash Joule heating technology within 0.5 s. As a proof concept, the nitrides and hetero-composites were applied for the electrocatalytic hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR), in which the Co₄N/Mo₁₆N₇ arrays shows the best performance with a geometric current density of 100 mA cm⁻² at 23 mV (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)). This work paves a new way for the ultrafast synthesis of TMNs which could meet the ever-increased energy crisis.