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Updated: Oct 7, 2026
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
Tandem amorphization and bismuth-doping modulate the interfacial electronic structure of cobalt sulfide for efficient
Sihan Ji1, Jiaming Zhang2, Zuhui Lu2
1School of Energy Materials and Chemical Engineering, Hefei University, No. 99, Jinxiu Avenue, Hefei 230601, China; Anhui Huaneng Cable Group Co., Ltd, Bawan Industrial Zone, Wuwei 238300, China.
Abstract:
Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction (NO3RR) offers a sustainable route for ammonia synthesis but is hampered by the competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and sluggish intermediate conversion at the catalyst-electrolyte interface. Herein, we report an amorphous Bi-doped cobalt sulfide (a-Bi-CoS) catalyst that addresses these challenges via tandem structure-electronic regulation of Co sites. The amorphous framework promotes uniform Bi incorporation and abundant BiS bonds, reconfiguring the local coordination environment and surface charge distribution of Co. In situ Raman/FTIR spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations reveal that this tandem effect strengthens *NO adsorption, lowers the barrier of the rate-determining *NO → *NOH hydrogenation step, enhances water dissociation, and weakens *H binding. This tandem regulation kinetically favors protonation of nitrogen-containing intermediates and improves NO3RR selectivity. Consequently, a-Bi-CoS achieves a Faradaic efficiency of 94.3% and an NH3 yield of 18.02 mg h-1 cm-2 at -0.5 V vs. RHE. Integrated into a membrane electrode assembly flow reactor coupled with glycerol oxidation, it delivers a stable NH3 production rate of 23.58 mg h-1 cm-2 over 40 h, highlighting its great potential for practical electrochemical ammonia synthesis.
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