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Updated: Sep 10, 2025

Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Nanotube with Doped Co and N Atoms and its Catalytic Applications in Hydrogen Production
Published on: December 6, 2021
Boosting Nitrate-to-Ammonia Conversion over Copper-Based Electrocatalysts by Facilitating Hydrogenation and Product
Yunying Wang1, Tong Bao1, Liyan Chen1
1School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, P.R. China.
None:
Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NitRR) in neutral condition offers a sustainable route for ammonia (NH3) production and water purification. For the most extensively investigated Cu-based electrocatalysts that favor NO3 - adsorption, insufficient hydrogenation capability and sluggish NH3 desorption hinder the ultimate performance. Herein, we report Ca-doped Cu2O co-modified by oxalate (Ca─Cu2O─OA) as a novel and high-performance NitRR electrocatalyst. Experimental and theoretical results demonstrate that the Ca dopant with strong hydration effect facilitates the hydrogenation steps of adsorbed NO3 - on the adjacent Cu active sites. The hydrogen-bonding interaction between OA and adsorbed NH3 promotes the product desorption. Together with the strong NO3 - adsorption capability and inhibited hydrogen evolution as a side reaction, excellent NitRR performance with a high Faraday efficiency (FE) of 97.49% and a high NH3 yield of 15.02 mg h-1 cm-2 is achieved in neutral condition, outperforming most reported electrocatalysts. This work has provided new insights into the rational design of advanced NitRR electrocatalysts.
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