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Updated: Jun 15, 2025

Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
Published on: April 10, 2018
Nickel-based dual single atom electrocatalysts for the nitrate reduction reaction
Cuizhu Ye1, Ziyi Guo2, Yongfang Zhou2
1School of Food Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China; China-Singapore International Joint Research Institute, Guangzhou Knowledge City, Guangzhou 510663, China.
Abstract:
Electrochemical nitrate (NO3-) reduction reaction (NO3-RR) to ammonium (NH4+) or nitrogen (N2) provides a green route for nitrate remediation. However, nitrite generation and hydrogen evolution reactions hinder the feasibility of the process. Herein, dual single atom catalysts were rationally designed by introducing Ag/Bi/Mo atoms to atomically dispersed NiNC moieties supported by nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheet (NCNS) for the NO3-RR. Ni single atoms loaded on NCNS (Ni/NCNS) tend to reduce NO3- to valuable NH4+ with a high selectivity of 77.8 %. In contrast, the main product of NO3-RR catalyzing by NiAg/NCNS, NiBi/NCNS, and NiMo/NCNS was changed to N2, giving rise to N2 selectivity of 48.4, 47.1 and 47.5 %, respectively. Encouragingly, Ni/NCNS, NiBi/NCNS, and NiAg/NCNS showed excellent durability in acidic electrolytes, leading to nitrate conversion rates of 70.3, 91.1, and 93.2 % after a 10-h reaction. Simulated wastewater experiments showed that NiAg/NCNS could remove NO3- up to 97.8 % at -0.62 V after 9-h electrolysis. This work afforded a new strategy to regulate the reaction pathway and improve the conversion efficiency of the NO3-RR via engineering the dual atomic sites of the catalysts.
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