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Research Article

Boosting electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia via Cu2O/Cu(OH)2 heterostructures promoting electron transfer

Jing Geng1,2( ), Sihan Ji3
Anhui Province International Research Center on Advanced Building Materials, School of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230601, China
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Advanced Building Materials, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230601, China
School of Energy Materials and Chemical Engineering, Hefei University, Hefei 230601, China
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Graphical Abstract

The Cu2O/Cu(OH)2 heterostructures are fabricated through liquid laser irradiation. Cu(OH)2 promotes electron transfer and reduces the valence state of Cu active site in Cu2O, thus enhancing the electrocatalytic NO3− reduction to NH3.

Abstract

Electrocatalytic nitrate (NO3−) reduction to ammonia (NH3) offers a viable approach for sustainable NH3 production and environmental denitrification. Copper (Cu) possesses a distinctive electronic structure, which can augment the reaction kinetics of NO3− and impede hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), rendering it a promising contender for the electrosynthesis of NH3 from NO3−. Nevertheless, the role of Cu2O in copper-based catalysts still requires further investigation for a more comprehensive understanding. Herein, the Cu2O/Cu(OH)2 heterostructures are successfully fabricated through liquid laser irradiation using CuO nanoparticles as a precursor. Experimental and theoretical researches reveal that Cu2O/Cu(OH)2 heterostructure exhibits enhanced electrocatalytic performance for NO3− to NH3 because Cu(OH)2 promotes electron transfer and reduces the valence state of Cu active site in Cu2O. At −0.6 V (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)), the NH3 yield reaches its maximum at 1630.66 ± 29.72 μg·h−1·mgcat−1, while the maximum of Faraday efficiency (FE) is 76.95% ± 5.51%. This study expands the technical scope of copper-based catalyst preparation and enhances the understanding of the electrocatalytic mechanism of NO3− to NH3.

Keywords

Cu2O/Cu(OH)2 heterostructureselectron transferammonia synthesiselectrocatalystsnitrate

Electronic Supplementary Material

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Nano Research
Volume 17 Issue 6,
June 2024
Pages 4898-4907
DOI: 10.1007/s12274-024-6480-1
Cite this article:
Geng J, Ji S. Boosting electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia via Cu2O/Cu(OH)2 heterostructures promoting electron transfer. Nano Research, 2024, 17(6): 4898-4907. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-024-6480-1
Topics:
Electrocatalysis Electrocatalysts

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Received: 04 December 2023
Revised: 30 December 2023
Accepted: 09 January 2024
Published: 08 February 2024
© Tsinghua University Press 2024
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