Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026
10:15
Solar-Driven Electrochemical Green Fuel Production from CO2 and Water Using Ti3C2Tx MXene-Supported CuZn and NiCo Catalysts
Published on: November 7, 2025
Bidirectional electron donation in Cu1-Ti pairs on TiOx for efficient nitric oxide electroreduction
Yan Zhang1, Ning Yan2, Bing Zhou1
1State Key Laboratory of Green Papermaking and Resource Recycling, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Nature Communications
|June 16, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed dual-atom catalysts for electrocatalytic nitric oxide reduction (NORR). This novel design efficiently converts harmful nitrogen oxides (NO) into valuable ammonia (NH3), improving environmental remediation and chemical synthesis.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Environmental Chemistry
Background:
- Electrocatalytic nitric oxide reduction (NORR) offers a sustainable route for nitrogen oxide (NO) abatement and ammonia (NH3) synthesis.
- Conventional catalysts struggle with NO activation due to its strong polarity and single-site interaction, limiting efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and investigate novel dual-atom catalysts for enhanced NORR.
- To overcome the limitations of single-site catalysts in activating polar molecules like NO.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of dual-atom Cu1-Ti pairs on a titanium oxide (TiO2) substrate.
- Electrocatalytic performance testing for NORR.
- In situ characterization techniques and theoretical calculations.
Main Results:
- The Cu1-Ti dual-atom sites effectively activated both nitrogen and oxygen ends of the NO molecule.
- Achieved high NH3 yield (189.9 μmol h-1 cm-2) and Faradaic efficiency (93.7%).
- Demonstrated a shift from end-on to side-on adsorption mechanism, enabling efficient NO reduction.
Conclusions:
- Dual-atom active site design is crucial for efficient electrocatalytic activation of polar molecules.
- The Cu1-Ti catalyst represents a significant advancement in NORR technology.
- This work paves the way for next-generation catalysts for complex chemical transformations.
Related Concept Videos
02:51Metal-Ligand Bonds
The hemoglobin in the blood, the chlorophyll in green plants, vitamin B-12, and the catalyst used in the manufacture of polyethylene all contain coordination compounds. Ions of the metals, especially the transition metals, are likely to form complexes.
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
01:43Electron Transport Chain: Complex III and IV
During the electron transport chain, electrons from NADH and FADH2 are first transferred to complexes I and II, respectively. These two complexes then transfer the electrons to ubiquinol, which carries them further to complex III. Complex III passes the electrons across the intermembrane space to Cyt c, which carries them further to complex IV. Complex IV donates electrons to oxygen and reduces it to water. As electrons pass through complexes I, III, and IV, the energy released aids the pumping...
01:23Redox Equilibria: Overview
A reduction-oxidation reaction is commonly called a redox reaction. In a redox reaction, electrons are transferred from one species to another rather than being shared between or among atoms. The reducing agent or reductant is the species that loses electrons and gets oxidized in the process. The species that gains electrons and gets reduced in the process is the oxidizing agent or oxidant. Redox reactions are represented as two separate equations called half-reactions, where one equation...
03:08Rate-Determining Steps
Relating Reaction Mechanisms
In a multistep reaction mechanism, one of the elementary steps progresses significantly slower than the others. This slowest step is called the rate-limiting step (or rate-determining step). A reaction cannot proceed faster than its slowest step, and hence, the rate-determining step limits the overall reaction rate.
The concept of rate-determining step can be understood from the analogy of a 4-lane freeway with a short-stretch of traffic-bottleneck caused due to...
In a multistep reaction mechanism, one of the elementary steps progresses significantly slower than the others. This slowest step is called the rate-limiting step (or rate-determining step). A reaction cannot proceed faster than its slowest step, and hence, the rate-determining step limits the overall reaction rate.
The concept of rate-determining step can be understood from the analogy of a 4-lane freeway with a short-stretch of traffic-bottleneck caused due to...
01:19Oxidation and Reduction of Organic Molecules
Energy production within a cell involves many coordinated chemical pathways. Most of these pathways are combinations of oxidation and reduction reactions, which occur at the same time. An oxidation reaction strips an electron from an atom in a compound, and the addition of this electron to another compound is a reduction reaction. Because oxidation and reduction usually occur together, these pairs of reactions are called redox reactions.
The removal of an electron from a molecule, results in a...
The removal of an electron from a molecule, results in a...
01:20Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution: Nitration of Benzene
The nitration of benzene is an example of an electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction. It involves the formation of a very powerful electrophile, the nitronium ion, which is linear in shape. The reaction occurs through the interaction of two strong acids, sulfuric and nitric acid.