Promoting Ampere-Level Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia Through Strong Oxide-Oxide Interaction
Haitao Xu1,2, Yang Yang3, Ali Han3
1Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, State Key Laboratory of Porous Materials for Separation and Conversion, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, P.R. China.
None:
The electrochemical reduction of nitrate to value-added ammonia offers a promising approach for removing nitrate pollutants from wastewater, combining energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability. However, developing industrially viable catalysts that combine high efficiency, low-cost, and high durability remains a significant challenge. Herein, cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanoparticles are anchored onto the copper oxide (CuO) nanosheets support (Co3O4@CuO) to boost the electroreduction of nitrate to ammonia via a strong oxide-oxide interaction. The optimized Co3O4@CuO catalyst exhibits a superb nitrate reduction performance, including a high ammonia Faradaic efficiency of 93.4 % at an ampere-level current density of approximately 2500 mA cm-2. Mechanistic investigations reveal that the strong oxide-oxide interaction between Co3O4 and CuO regulates the adsorption configuration of nitrite and the subsequent hydrogenation process. This interaction can effectively control the overall reaction pathway, thereby enhancing the yield and selectivity of ammonia. The strategic combination of these oxide materials provides a guiding framework for developing high-performance catalytic systems.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Preparation of Amines: Reduction of Oximes and Nitro Compounds
Though catalytic hydrogenation can reduce nitrobenzenes, the reduction is nonselective in the presence of other functional groups. For instance, if nitrobenzene contains an aldehyde group,...
1° Amines to Diazonium or Aryldiazonium Salts: Diazotization with NaNO2 Mechanism
1° Amines to Diazonium or Aryldiazonium Salts: Diazotization with NaNO2 Overview
The nitrous acid is unstable. Hence, it is formed in situ from a solution of sodium nitrite and cold aqueous acids such as hydrochloric or sulfuric acid. In an acidic solution, the –OH group of nitrous acid undergoes protonation to give oxonium ion, followed by...
2° Amines to N-Nitrosamines: Reaction with NaNO2
Nitriles to Amines: LiAlH4 Reduction
As shown below, the mechanism involves three steps. Firstly, the hydride ion acting as a nucleophile attacks the nitrile carbon to form an anion. In the second step, a second equivalent of the hydride ion attacks the anion to...
Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation


