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Boosting electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia via Cu2O/Cu(OH)2 heterostructures promoting electron transfer
Nano Research 2024, 17(6): 4898-4907
Published: 08 February 2024
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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.

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