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Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Electrochemically and Bioelectrochemically Induced Ammonium Recovery
Published on: January 22, 2015
Engineering Asymmetric Cu0/Cu+ Interfaces for Record-Efficiency Ammonia Electrosynthesis From Dilute Nitrate in
Beibei Xu1, Jingyu Lu1, Guanna Li2
1School of New Energy, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Jiangyin, Jiangsu, China.
None:
The electrocatalytic conversion of nitrate to ammonia in neutral media offers profound potential for sustainable nitrogen management, albeit it has been critically impeded by persistent hurdles such as the sluggish kinetics and competitive adsorption of H2O molecules. Herein, we report the reconstruction of copper foam to engineer asymmetric Cu0/Cu+ interfaces for electrocatalytic nitrate to ammonia conversion in neutral conditions with ultralow nitrate concentration. Employing microstructural characterizations complemented by kinetic isotope effect (KIE) analyses, we uncover that the Cu2O/Cu foam electrocatalyst fosters the formation of asymmetric rectifying interfaces, thereby facilitating nitrate adsorption and accelerating the hydrogenation of H-ON in neutral environments. Notably, under conditions of ultralow nitrate concentration (14 ppm NO3 --N), the Cu2O/Cu foam electrocatalyst demonstrates a remarkable 100% conversion of NO3 - to NH3 within 15 min, with a NO3 - removal ratio of 99.9% and an NH3 production rate of 0.39 mmol/h/cm2, effectively diminishing nitrate levels to adhere to the WHO safety limit.
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