Neutral Electrocatalytic Ammonia Synthesis from Nitrate over a Cu2O-Co(OH)2 Composite Electrode
- 1Huzhou Key Laboratory of Smart and Clean Energy, Yangtze Delta Region Institute (Huzhou), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Huzhou 313001, China
- 2State Key Laboratory of Chemistry and Utilization of Carbon Based Energy Resources, College of Chemistry, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China
- 3Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage, Carbon Neutrality Institute, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221008, China
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.
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BibTeX
@article{yuan2026neutral,
title = {{Neutral Electrocatalytic Ammonia Synthesis from Nitrate over a Cu2O-Co(OH)2 Composite Electrode}},
author = {Shuang Yuan and Xinyu Cui and Hongtao Xie and Yali Cao and Yizhao Li},
journal = {Catalysts},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/catal16110969},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/11/969},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Neutral Electrocatalytic Ammonia Synthesis from Nitrate over a Cu2O-Co(OH)2 Composite Electrode
AU - Shuang Yuan
AU - Xinyu Cui
AU - Hongtao Xie
AU - Yali Cao
AU - Yizhao Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Catalysts
DO - 10.3390/catal16110969
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/11/969
AB - 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.
SN - 2073-4344
ER -