Boosting nitrate removal efficiency via synergistic strategy: Oxygen vacancy engineering and morphological control

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• Nitrate reduction reaction (NO₃^-RR) is crucial for groundwater remediation.
• Developing high-performance, low-energy electrocatalysts for NO₃^-RR is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel electrocatalyst for efficient and low-energy nitrate reduction.
• To investigate the effects of vacancy and morphology engineering on catalyst performance.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized c-Fe₂O₃ nanospheres using a dual modulation strategy (vacancy and morphology engineering).
• Characterized the catalyst's structure, performance (Faraday efficiency, energy consumption), and reaction mechanism through theoretical calculations.

Main Results:

• The c-Fe₂O₃ electrocatalyst achieved a high Faraday efficiency of 95.54%.
• Demonstrated simultaneous high performance and low energy consumption (EC = 0.35 kWh/mol, E_EO = 1.40 kWh/m³).
• Theoretical studies confirmed enhanced substrate enrichment, active site utilization, and improved charge transfer.

Conclusions:

• The dual modulation strategy effectively enhances electrocatalyst performance for nitrate reduction.
• Oxygen vacancies and controlled morphology are key to achieving high efficiency and low energy consumption.
• This approach offers a viable route for developing advanced electrocatalysts for environmental remediation.