Designing highly efficient, low cost and long-term stable electro-catalysts is the key step for the commercial applications of fuel cells. Electro-oxidation of urea, a hydrogen-rich fuel, is the anodic reaction of direct urea fuel cells. Herein, defects-rich nickel nanoparticles grown on nickel foam as integrated electrodes have been designed and easily fabricated by incomplete reduction of Ni(OH)(2). The Ni2+ defects coupled with oxygen vacancies are proposed to be mainly present in the form of amorphous NiOx. which is the island phase in the metallic nickel nanoparticles and confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The synergistic effect between metallic metal with high conductivity and numerous defects with good affinity to O contributes to the high catalytic activity towards oxidation of urea with an onset potential of 0.35 V vs Hg/ HgO in 2 M KOH +0.33 M urea. Additionally, the defects-rich nickel nanoparticles present good long-term stability. (C) 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.