{
  "abstract": "Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) provides a sustainable and carbon-neutral alternative to the energy-intensive Haber–Bosch process for ammonia production. Operating directly in neutral media is particularly attractive for practical implementation, as it avoids corrosive acids/alkalis and aligns with wastewater remediation scenarios, yet it suffers from sluggish reaction kinetics and poor product selectivity due to the competing hydrogen evolution and the multistep electron/proton transfer nature. In this study, a Cu2O-Co(OH)2 composite electrode supported on cobalt foam (Cu2O-Co(OH)2/CF) was constructed to enhance nitrate reduction under neutral conditions. The introduction of Cu2O promotes the initial activation of NO3− and facilitates its conversion to NO2−, while Co(OH)2 favors the subsequent hydrogenation of NO2− and other nitrogen-containing intermediates. At −1.0 V (vs. RHE), the Cu2O-Co(OH)2/CF electrode achieves an ammonia production rate of 1.1 mmol·h−1·cm−2. In situ infrared spectroscopy reveals that Cu2O enhances the evolution of intermediates associated with the initial nitrate reduction, whereas Co(OH)2 promotes the subsequent conversion of nitrogen-containing intermediates, which demonstrate that the synergistic regulation of different reaction stages by Cu2O and Co(OH)2 facilitates the stepwise reduction of NO3− to NH3. This work demonstrates that the staged catalytic functions, enabled by the spatially separated active sites, can successfully overcome the kinetic bottleneck of neutral NO3RR, offering a promising electrode design for practical ammonia synthesis.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Huzhou Key Laboratory of Smart and Clean Energy, Yangtze Delta Region Institute (Huzhou), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Huzhou 313001, China",
    "State Key Laboratory of Chemistry and Utilization of Carbon Based Energy Resources, College of Chemistry, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China",
    "Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage, Carbon Neutrality Institute, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221008, China"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Shuang Yuan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xinyu Cui"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Hongtao Xie",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6969-4897"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yali Cao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yizhao Li",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0248-2894"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4fz62afc82frd.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/catal16110969",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "4fz62afc82frd",
  "issns": [
    "2073-4344"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/11/969",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-30",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4fz62afc82frd.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T00:20:50Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/catal16110969",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/11/969"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "issn:2073-4344",
      "subfield": "catalysis"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Neutral Electrocatalytic Ammonia Synthesis from Nitrate over a Cu2O-Co(OH)2 Composite Electrode",
  "title_text": "Neutral Electrocatalytic Ammonia Synthesis from Nitrate over a Cu2O-Co(OH)2 Composite Electrode",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T00:20:48Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4fz62afc82frd",
  "venue": "Catalysts",
  "versions": []
}