Iron-doped cobalt oxide nanoarray for efficient electrocatalytic nitrate-to-ammonia conversion
Peipei Wei1, Jie Liang1, Qian Liu2
1Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan 610054, China.
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
|February 14, 2022
Summary
This study presents Fe-doped Co3O4 nanoarray as an efficient catalyst for electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) to produce ammonia (NH3) under ambient conditions, offering a cost-effective alternative to noble metals.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Catalysis
Background:
- Electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) is a promising route for ammonia (NH3) synthesis.
- Noble metal catalysts offer good performance but are limited by cost and availability.
- Developing cost-effective and efficient catalysts is crucial for industrial applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate Fe-doped Co3O4 nanoarray as a catalyst for NO3RR to NH3 production.
- To evaluate the catalytic performance, including NH3 yield and Faradaic efficiency.
- To understand the mechanism of NO3RR on the Fe-doped Co3O4 catalyst.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of Fe-doped Co3O4 nanoarray.
- Electrochemical characterization of the catalyst for NO3RR.
- Density functional theory (DFT) calculations to elucidate the reaction mechanism.
Main Results:
- Fe-doped Co3O4 nanoarray demonstrated efficient catalysis for NO3RR to NH3 in neutral conditions.
- Achieved a high NH3 yield of 0.624 mg mg(cat.)(-1)h(-1) and Faradaic efficiency of 95.5% at -0.7 V vs RHE.
- The catalyst exhibited good stability for NO3RR.
Conclusions:
- Fe-doped Co3O4 nanoarray is a highly effective and stable catalyst for electrochemical NH3 production via NO3RR.
- DFT calculations suggest favorable NO3- adsorption on Fe-doped Co3O4, facilitating NH3 synthesis.
- This finding offers a cost-effective alternative to noble metal catalysts for ammonia production.
