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Li D, Zhang XY, Xie JF, Chen JJ, Zhao QB, Liu L, Wang WK, Li WW, Yu HQ. Ultrathin cobalt-based nanosheets containing surface oxygen promoted near-complete nitrate removal. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 672:383-391. [PMID: 38848622 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Electrocatalytic nitrate removal offers a sustainable approach to alleviate nitrate pollution and to boost the anthropogenic nitrogen cycle, but it still suffers from limited removal efficiency at high rates, especially at low levels of nitrate. Herein, we report the near-complete removal of low-level nitrate (10-200 ppm) within 2 h using ultrathin cobalt-based nanosheets (CoNS) containing surface oxygen, which was fabricated from in-situ electrochemical reconstruction of conventional nanosheets. The average nitrate removal of 99.7 % with ammonia selectivity of 98.2 % in 9 cyclic runs ranked in the best of reported catalysts. Powered by a solar cell under the winter sun, the full-cell nitrate electrolysis system, equipped with ultrathin CoNS, achieved 100 % nitrogen gas selectivity and 99.6 % total nitrogen removal. The in-situ Fourier Transform Infrared included experiments and theoretical computations revealed that in-situ electrochemical reconstruction not only increased electrochemical active surface area but also constructed surface oxygen in active sites, leading to enhanced stabilization of nitrate adsorption in a symmetry breaking configuration and charge transfer, contributing to near-complete nitrate removal on ultrathin CoNS. This work provides a strategy to design ultrathin nanocatalysts for nitrate removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ding Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xin-Yu Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Jia-Fang Xie
- CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Research Center of Urban Carbon Neutrality, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China.
| | - Jie-Jie Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Quan-Bao Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lin Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wei-Kang Wang
- Shanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Biotransformation of Organic Solid Waste, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Wen-Wei Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Han-Qing Yu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
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2
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Jiang M, Zhu M, Ding J, Wang H, Yu Q, Chen X, He Y, Wang M, Luo X, Wu C, Zhang L, Yao X, Wang H, Li X, Liao X, Jiang Z, Jin Z. Nanocluster-agminated amorphous cobalt nanofilms for highly selective electroreduction of nitrate to ammonia. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 476:134909. [PMID: 38905979 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
Developing highly-efficient electrocatalysts for the nitrate reduction reaction (NITRR) is a persistent challenge. Here, we present the successful synthesis of 14 amorphous/low crystallinity metal nanofilms on three-dimensional carbon fibers (M-NFs/CP), including Al, Ti, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ag, In, Sn, Pb, Au, or Bi, using rapid thermal evaporation. Among these samples, our study identifies the amorphous Co nanofilm with fine agglomerated Co clusters as the optimal electrocatalyst for NITRR in a neutral medium. The resulting Co-NFs/CP exhibits a remarkable Faradaic efficiency (FENH3) of 91.15 % at - 0.9 V vs RHE, surpassing commercial Co foil (39 %) and Co powder (20 %), despite sharing the same metal composition. Furthermore, during the electrochemical NITRR, the key intermediates on the surface of the Co-NFs/CP catalyst were detected by in situ Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and the possible reaction ways were probed by Density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Theoretical calculations illustrate that the abundant low-coordinate Co atoms of Co-NFs/CP could enhances the adsorption of *NO3 intermediates compared to crystalline Co. Additionally, the amorphous Co structure lowers the energy barrier for the rate-determining step (*NH2→*NH3). This work opens a new avenue for the controllable synthesis of amorphous/low crystallinity metal nano-catalysts for various electrocatalysis reaction applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minghang Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Xihua University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610039, China; State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic Materials, Tianchang New Materials and Energy Technology Research Center, Research Institute of Green Chemistry and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Mengfei Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic Materials, Tianchang New Materials and Energy Technology Research Center, Research Institute of Green Chemistry and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Junjie Ding
- College of Physics and Center of Quantum Materials and Devices, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Huaizhu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic Materials, Tianchang New Materials and Energy Technology Research Center, Research Institute of Green Chemistry and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Qianchuan Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic Materials, Tianchang New Materials and Energy Technology Research Center, Research Institute of Green Chemistry and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Xi Chen
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Xihua University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610039, China
| | - Yi He
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Xihua University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610039, China
| | - Mengjun Wang
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Xihua University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610039, China
| | - Xiaojun Luo
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Xihua University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610039, China
| | - Caijun Wu
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Xihua University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610039, China
| | - Liyun Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Xihua University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610039, China
| | - Xinghui Yao
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Xihua University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610039, China
| | - Huizhen Wang
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Xihua University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610039, China
| | - Xiao Li
- College of Chemistry and Food Science, Yulin Normal University, Yulin, Guangxi 537000, China.
| | - Xuemei Liao
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Xihua University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610039, China; School of Food and Biological Engineering, Xihua University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610039, China.
| | - Zhenju Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Xihua University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610039, China; School of Food and Biological Engineering, Xihua University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610039, China.
| | - Zhong Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic Materials, Tianchang New Materials and Energy Technology Research Center, Research Institute of Green Chemistry and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China.
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3
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Zhou C, Zhang Y, Xie C, Bai J, Li J, Zhang H, Zhu H, Long M, Zhou B, Zheng G. Efficient Electroreduction of Low Nitrate Concentration via Nitrate Self-Enrichment and Active Hydrogen Inducement on the Ce(IV)-Co 3O 4 Cathode. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 39105779 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c06263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
Low concentrations of nitrate (NO3-) widely exist in wastewater, post-treated wastewater, and natural environments; its further disposal is a challenge but meaningful for its discharge goals. Electroreduction of NO3- is a promising method that allows to eliminate NO3- and even generate higher-value NH3. However, the massive side reaction of hydrogen evolution has raised great obstacles in the electroreduction of low concentrations of NO3-. Herein, we present an efficient electroreduction method for low or even ultralow concentrations of NO3- via NO3- self-enrichment and active hydrogen (H*) inducement on the Ce(IV)-Co3O4 cathode. The key mechanism is that the strong oxytropism of Ce(IV) in Co3O4 resulted in two changes in structures, including loose nanoporous structures with copious dual adsorption sites of Ce-Co showing strong self-enrichment of NO3- and abundant oxygen vacancies (Ovs) inducing substantial H*. Ultimately, the bifunctional role synergistically promoted the selective conversion of NH3 rather than H2. As a result, Ce(IV)-Co3O4 demonstrated a NO3- self-enrichment with a 4.3-fold up-adsorption, a 7.5-fold enhancement of NH3 Faradic efficiency, and a 93.1% diminution of energy consumption when compared to Co3O4, substantially exceeding other reported electroreduction cathodes for NO3- concentrations lower than 100 mg·L-1. This work provides an effective treatment method for low or even ultralow concentrations of NO3-.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changhui Zhou
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Thin Film and Microfabrication Technology (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Thin Film and Microfabrication Technology (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Chaoyue Xie
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Thin Film and Microfabrication Technology (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Jing Bai
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Thin Film and Microfabrication Technology (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Jinhua Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Thin Film and Microfabrication Technology (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Haichuan Zhang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Rd, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Hong Zhu
- University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Mingce Long
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Thin Film and Microfabrication Technology (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Baoxue Zhou
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Thin Film and Microfabrication Technology (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Gengfeng Zheng
- Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
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Chen X, Cheng Y, Zhang B, Zhou J, He S. Gradient-concentration RuCo electrocatalyst for efficient and stable electroreduction of nitrate into ammonia. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6278. [PMID: 39054325 PMCID: PMC11272931 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50670-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia holds great promise for developing green technologies for electrochemical ammonia energy conversion and storage. Considering that real nitrate resources often exhibit low concentrations, it is challenging to achieve high activity in low-concentration nitrate solutions due to the competing reaction of the hydrogen evolution reaction, let alone considering the catalyst lifetime. Herein, we present a high nitrate reduction performance electrocatalyst based on a Co nanosheet structure with a gradient dispersion of Ru, which yields a high NH3 Faraday efficiency of over 93% at an industrially relevant NH3 current density of 1.0 A/cm2 in 2000 ppm NO3- electrolyte, while maintaining good stability for 720 h under -300 mA/cm2. The electrocatalyst maintains high activity even in 62 ppm NO3- electrolyte. Electrochemical studies, density functional theory, electrochemical in situ Raman, and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy confirm that the gradient concentration design of the catalyst reduces the reaction energy barrier to improve its activity and suppresses the catalyst evolution caused by the expansion of the Co lattice to enhance its stability. The gradient-driven design in this work provides a direction for improving the performance of electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinhong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Yumeng Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jia Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, China.
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China.
| | - Sisi He
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, China.
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China.
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5
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Luo X, Wu Y, Hu H, Wei T, Wu B, Ding J, Liu Q, Luo J, Liu X. Boron-Doped Ti 3C 2T x MXene for Effective and Durable High-Current-Density Ammonia Synthesis. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024:e2403399. [PMID: 39045897 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202403399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2024] [Revised: 07/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024]
Abstract
Ammonia (NH3) synthesis via the nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) offers a competitive strategy for nitrogen cycling and carbon neutrality; however, this is hindered by the poor NO3RR performance under high current density. Herein, it is shown that boron-doped Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets can highly efficiently catalyze the conversion of NO3RR-to-NH3 at ambient conditions, showing a maximal NH3 Faradic efficiency of 91% with a peak yield rate of 26.2 mgh-1 mgcat. -1, and robust durability over ten consecutive cycles, all of them are comparable to the best-reported results and exceed those of pristine Ti3C2Tx MXene. More importantly, when tested in a flow cell, the designed catalyst delivers a current density of ‒1000 mA cm-2 at a low potential of ‒1.18 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode and maintains a high NH3 selectivity over a wide current density range. Besides, a Zn-nitrate battery with the catalyst as the cathode is assembled, which achieves a power density of 5.24 mW cm-2 and a yield rate of 1.15 mgh-1 mgcat. -1. Theoretical simulations further demonstrate that the boron dopants can optimize the adsorption and activation of NO3RR intermediates, and reduce the potential-determining step barrier, thus leading to an enhanced NH3 selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Luo
- Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development, PetroChina, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Yeyu Wu
- Education Department of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Key Laboratory of Applied Analytical Chemistry, Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center for Chemistry and Engineering of Forest Products, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Chemistry and Engineering of Forest Products, State Ethnic Affairs Commission, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi Minzu University, Nanning, 530006, China
| | - Huihui Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Featured Metal Materials and Life-cycle Safety for Composite Structures, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Processing for Non-ferrous Metals and Featured Materials, School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China
| | - Tianran Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Featured Metal Materials and Life-cycle Safety for Composite Structures, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Processing for Non-ferrous Metals and Featured Materials, School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China
| | - Baoshan Wu
- School of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China
| | - Junyang Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Featured Metal Materials and Life-cycle Safety for Composite Structures, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Processing for Non-ferrous Metals and Featured Materials, School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China
| | - Qian Liu
- Institute for Advanced Study, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610106, China
| | - Jun Luo
- ShenSi Lab, Shenzhen Institute for Advanced Study, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Longhua District, Shenzhen, 518110, China
| | - Xijun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Featured Metal Materials and Life-cycle Safety for Composite Structures, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Processing for Non-ferrous Metals and Featured Materials, School of Resources, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China
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6
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Xie A, Martínez-Vargas DR, Yang Z, Zou S. Efficient selenate removal from impaired waters with TiO 2-assisted electrocatalysis. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 262:122134. [PMID: 39067272 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2024] [Revised: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Aquatic selenium (Se) oxyanions have profound ecosystem and human health impacts, necessitating their conversion and immobilization into elemental Se(0) to mitigate the aquatic Se pollution. While thermodynamically favorable, this transformation encounters kinetic limitations, especially for selenate (SeO42-) or Se(VI). To lower the activation barrier, we investigated the electrocatalytic Se(VI) transformation using five affordable catalysts on graphite cathodes, including TiO2, underpotentially deposited Cu (UPD Cu), underpotentially deposited Cd (UPD Cd), Co, and CuFe. Among these five catalysts, we identified characteristic Se(VI) reduction peaks for TiO2 through cyclic voltammetry. Other catalysts removed less than 5% of 1-mM Se(VI) in 24-h chronoamperometry tests while leaching ppm-level metal cations in the treated water. In contrast, TiO2 as the electrocatalyst could remove more than 80% of 1-mM Se(VI) with negligible catalyst dissolution. Mechanistic investigations revealed a six-electron Se(VI)/Se(0) reduction pathway at -0.30 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), resulting in red Se(0) deposits on the TiO2-coated graphite cathode. Further potential decrease to more negative than -0.45 V led to Se(-II) formation, triggering cathodic Se(0) dissolution and surface regeneration. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy indicated that Se(VI) reduction was optimal with a moderate TiO2 loading of 0.55 mg cm-2 and acidic environments (pH=1.0∼2.5), achieving an optimized removal of 88.7 ± 2.3% under -0.70 V and an energy input of 3.6 kWh kg-1 Se. These findings lay the foundation for efficient selenate removal from impaired waters. Future efforts should evaluate catalyst performance over time and refine electrode and reactor designs to improve efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ao Xie
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849, USA
| | | | - Zilan Yang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849, USA
| | - Shiqiang Zou
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849, USA.
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7
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Zhang L, Wang R, Liang Li G, Niu H, Bai Y, Jiao T, Zhang X, Liu R, Streb C, Yuan M, Zhang G. Boosting electrocatalytic ammonia synthesis from nitrate by asymmetric chemical potential activated interfacial electric fields. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 676:636-646. [PMID: 39053411 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.07.164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2024] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
The electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO3- RR) has immense potential to alleviate the problem of groundwater pollution and may also become a key route for the environmentally benign production of ammonia (NH3) products. Here, the unique effects of interfacial electric fields arising from asymmetric chemical potentials and local defects were integrated into the binary Bi2S3-Bi2O3 sublattices for enhancing electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reactions. The obtained binary system showed a superior Faraday efficiency (FE) for ammonia production of 94 % and an NH3 yield rate of 89.83 mg gcat-1h-1 at -0.4 V vs. RHE. Systematic experimental and computational results confirmed that the concerted interplay between interfacial electric fields and local defects not only promoted the accumulation and adsorption of NO3-, but also contributed to the destabilization of *NO and the subsequent deoxygenation hydrogenation reaction. This work will stimulate future designs of heterostructured catalysts for efficient electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, PR China; Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China; CAS Key Laboratory of Green Process and Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
| | - Runzhi Wang
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China; CAS Key Laboratory of Green Process and Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
| | - Guo Liang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, PR China.
| | - Hexu Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Queen Mary University of London Engineering School, Northwestern Polytechnical University Xi'an, 710072, PR China
| | - Yiling Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan 030001, PR China; National Energy Center for Coal to Liquids, Synfuels China Technology C. Ltd, Beijing 101400, PR China
| | - Tianao Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Queen Mary University of London Engineering School, Northwestern Polytechnical University Xi'an, 710072, PR China
| | - Xuehua Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Green Process and Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
| | - Rongji Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Carsten Streb
- Department of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
| | - Menglei Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Queen Mary University of London Engineering School, Northwestern Polytechnical University Xi'an, 710072, PR China.
| | - Guangjin Zhang
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China; CAS Key Laboratory of Green Process and Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China; Key Laboratory of Green and High-value Utilization of Salt Lake Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China.
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8
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Zhang J, Lan J, Xie F, Luo M, Peng M, Palaniyandy N, Tan Y. Nanoporous copper titanium tin (np-Cu 2TiSn) Heusler alloy prepared by dealloying-induced phase transformation for electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 676:323-330. [PMID: 39033673 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.07.125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2024] [Revised: 07/06/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Heusler alloys are a series of well-established intermetallic compounds with abundant structure and elemental substitutions, which are considered as potentially valuable catalysts for integrating multiple reactions owing to the features of ordered atomic arrangement and optimized electronic structure. Herein, a nanoporous copper titanium tin (np-Cu2TiSn) Heusler alloy is successfully prepared by the (electro)chemical dealloying transformation method, which exhibits high nitrate (NO3-) reduction performance with an NH3 Faradaic efficiency of 77.14 %, an NH3 yield rate of 11.90 mg h-1 mg-1cat, and a stability for 100 h under neutral condition. Significantly, we also convert NO3- to high-purity ammonium phosphomolybdate with NH4+ collection efficiency of 83.8 %, which suggests a practical approach to convert wastewater nitrate into value-added ammonia products. Experiments and theoretical calculations reveal that the electronic structure of Cu sites is modulated by the ligand effect of surrounding Ti and Sn atoms, which can simultaneously enhance the activation of NO3-, facilitate the desorption of NH3, and reduce the energy barriers, thereby boosting the electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junfeng Zhang
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Manufacturing Technology for Vehicle, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, Hunan Province, China
| | - Jiao Lan
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Manufacturing Technology for Vehicle, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, Hunan Province, China
| | - Feng Xie
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Manufacturing Technology for Vehicle, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, Hunan Province, China
| | - Min Luo
- Shanghai Technical Institute of Electronics & Information, Shanghai 201411, China.
| | - Ming Peng
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Manufacturing Technology for Vehicle, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, Hunan Province, China; Greater Bay Area Institute for Innovation, Hunan University, Guangzhou 511300, Guangdong Province, China.
| | - Nithyadharseni Palaniyandy
- Institute for Catalysis and Energy Solutions (ICES), College of Science, Engineering, and Technology (CSET), University of South Africa, Florida Science Campus, Roodepoort 1709, South Africa
| | - Yongwen Tan
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Manufacturing Technology for Vehicle, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, Hunan Province, China.
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9
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Shen Z, Chen G, Cheng X, Xu F, Huang H, Wang X, Yang L, Wu Q, Hu Z. Self-enhanced localized alkalinity at the encapsulated Cu catalyst for superb electrocatalytic nitrate/nitrite reduction to NH 3 in neutral electrolyte. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadm9325. [PMID: 38985876 PMCID: PMC11235175 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adm9325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
The electrocatalytic nitrate/nitrite reduction reaction (eNOx-RR) to ammonia (NH3) is thermodynamically more favorable than the eye-catching nitrogen (N2) electroreduction. To date, the high eNOx-RR-to-NH3 activity is limited to strong alkaline electrolytes but cannot be achieved in economic and sustainable neutral/near-neutral electrolytes. Here, we construct a copper (Cu) catalyst encapsulated inside the hydrophilic hierarchical nitrogen-doped carbon nanocages (Cu@hNCNC). During eNOx-RR, the hNCNC shell hinders the diffusion of generated OH- ions outward, thus creating a self-enhanced local high pH environment around the inside Cu nanoparticles. Consequently, the Cu@hNCNC catalyst exhibits an excellent eNOx-RR-to-NH3 activity in the neutral electrolyte, equivalent to the Cu catalyst immobilized on the outer surface of hNCNC (Cu/hNCNC) in strong alkaline electrolyte, with much better stability for the former. The optimal NH3 yield rate reaches 4.0 moles per hour per gram with a high Faradaic efficiency of 99.7%. The strong-alkalinity-free advantage facilitates the practicability of Cu@hNCNC catalyst as demonstrated in a coupled plasma-driven N2 oxidization with eNOx-RR-to-NH3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Shen
- Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of MOE and Jiangsu Provincial Laboratory for Nanotechnology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
| | - Guanghai Chen
- Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of MOE and Jiangsu Provincial Laboratory for Nanotechnology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
| | - Xueyi Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of MOE and Jiangsu Provincial Laboratory for Nanotechnology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
| | - Fengfei Xu
- Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of MOE and Jiangsu Provincial Laboratory for Nanotechnology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
| | - Hongwen Huang
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, P. R. China
| | - Xizhang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of MOE and Jiangsu Provincial Laboratory for Nanotechnology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
| | - Lijun Yang
- Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of MOE and Jiangsu Provincial Laboratory for Nanotechnology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
| | - Qiang Wu
- Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of MOE and Jiangsu Provincial Laboratory for Nanotechnology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
| | - Zheng Hu
- Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of MOE and Jiangsu Provincial Laboratory for Nanotechnology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
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10
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Wei Y, Huang J, Chen H, Zheng SJ, Huang RW, Dong XY, Li LK, Cao A, Cai J, Zang SQ. Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction on Metallic CoNi-Terminated Catalyst with Industrial-Level Current Density in Neutral Medium. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2404774. [PMID: 38721927 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202404774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Green ammonia synthesis through electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (eNO3RR) can serve as an effective alternative to the traditional energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process. However, achieving high Faradaic efficiency (FE) at industrially relevant current density in neutral medium poses significant challenges in eNO3RR. Herein, with the guidance of theoretical calculation, a metallic CoNi-terminated catalyst is successfully designed and constructed on copper foam, which achieves an ammonia FE of up to 100% under industrial-level current density and very low overpotential (-0.15 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode) in a neutral medium. Multiple characterization results have confirmed that the maintained metal atom-terminated surface through interaction with copper atoms plays a crucial role in reducing overpotential and achieving high current density. By constructing a homemade gas stripping and absorption device, the complete conversion process for high-purity ammonium nitrate products is demonstrated, displaying the potential for practical application. This work suggests a sustainable and promising process toward directly converting nitrate-containing pollutant solutions into practical nitrogen fertilizers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingying Wei
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Jingjing Huang
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Hong Chen
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Su-Jun Zheng
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Ren-Wu Huang
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Xi-Yan Dong
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, 454003, China
| | - Lin-Ke Li
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Ang Cao
- State Key Laboratory for Clean Energy Utilization, Institute for Thermal Power Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Jinmeng Cai
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Shuang-Quan Zang
- Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
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11
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Fan X, Liu C, He X, Li Z, Yue L, Zhao W, Li J, Wang Y, Li T, Luo Y, Zheng D, Sun S, Liu Q, Li L, Chu W, Gong F, Tang B, Yao Y, Sun X. Efficient Electrochemical Co-Reduction of Carbon Dioxide and Nitrate to Urea with High Faradaic Efficiency on Cobalt-Based Dual-Sites. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2401221. [PMID: 38563723 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202401221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Renewable electricity-powered nitrate/carbon dioxide co-reduction reaction toward urea production paves an attractive alternative to industrial urea processes and offers a clean on-site approach to closing the global nitrogen cycle. However, its large-scale implantation is severely impeded by challenging C-N coupling and requires electrocatalysts with high activity/selectivity. Here, cobalt-nanoparticles anchored on carbon nanosheet (Co NPs@C) are proposed as a catalyst electrode to boost yield and Faradaic efficiency (FE) toward urea electrosynthesis with enhanced C-N coupling. Such Co NPs@C renders superb urea-producing activity with a high FE reaching 54.3% and a urea yield of 2217.5 µg h-1 mgcat. -1, much superior to the Co NPs and C nanosheet counterparts, and meanwhile shows strong stability. The Co NPs@C affords rich catalytically active sites, fast reactant diffusion, and sufficient catalytic surfaces-electrolyte contacts with favored charge and ion transfer efficiencies. The theoretical calculations reveal that the high-rate formation of *CO and *NH2 intermediates is crucial for facilitating urea synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoya Fan
- Center for High Altitude Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
- Precision Medicine Translational Research Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, China
| | - Chaozhen Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Energy Thermal Conversion and Control, School of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211189, China
| | - Xun He
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
| | - Zixiao Li
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
| | - Luchao Yue
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
| | - Wenxi Zhao
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
| | - Jun Li
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
| | - Tingshuai Li
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
| | - Yongsong Luo
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, China
| | - Dongdong Zheng
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, China
| | - Shengjun Sun
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, China
| | - Qian Liu
- Institute for Advanced Study, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610106, China
| | - Luming Li
- Institute for Advanced Study, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610106, China
| | - Wei Chu
- Institute for Advanced Study, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610106, China
| | - Feng Gong
- MOE Key Laboratory of Energy Thermal Conversion and Control, School of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211189, China
| | - Bo Tang
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, China
- Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, Shandong, 266237, China
| | - Yongchao Yao
- Precision Medicine Translational Research Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Xuping Sun
- Center for High Altitude Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, China
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12
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Wang H, Du G, Jia J, Huang J, Tu M, Zhang J, Peng Y, Li H, Xu C. Ru-Doped NiFe-MIL-53 with Facilitated Reconstruction and Active Hydrogen Supplement for Enhanced Nitrate Reduction. Inorg Chem 2024; 63:9212-9220. [PMID: 38718298 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.4c00766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
The Electrochemical reduction of nitrate to ammonia (NH3) is a process of great significance to energy utilization and environmental protection. However, it suffers from sluggish multielectron/proton-involved steps involving coupling reactions between different reaction intermediates and active hydrogen species (Hads) produced by water decomposition. In this study, a Ru-doped NiFe-MIL-53 (NiFeRu-MIL-53) supported on Ni foam (NF) has been designed for the nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR). The NiFeRu-MIL-53 exhibits excellent NO3RR activity with a maximum Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 100% at -0.4 V vs. RHE for NH3 and a maximum NH3 yield of 62.39 mg h-1 cm-2 at -0.7 V vs. RHE in alkaline media. This excellent performance for the NO3RR is attributed to a strong synergistic effect between Ru and reconstructed NiFe(OH)2. Additionally, the doped Ru facilitates water dissociation, leading to an appropriate supply of Hads required for N species hydrogenation during NO3RR, thereby further enhancing its performance. Furthermore, in situ Raman analysis reveals that incorporating Ru facilitates the reconstruction of MOFs and promotes the formation of hydroxide active species during the NO3RR process. This work provides a valuable strategy for designing electrocatalysts to improve the efficiency of the reduction of electrochemical nitrate to ammonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huijiao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Gening Du
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Jinzhi Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Junfeng Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Mudong Tu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Jinhua Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Yong Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Hua Li
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Cailing Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
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13
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Meese AF, Napier C, Kim DJ, Rigby K, Hedtke T, Leshchev D, Stavitski E, Parent LR, Kim JH. Underpotential Deposition of 3D Transition Metals: Versatile Electrosynthesis of Single-Atom Catalysts on Oxidized Carbon Supports. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2311341. [PMID: 38332453 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202311341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Use of single-atom catalysts (SACs) has become a popular strategy for tuning activity and selectivity toward specific pathways. However, conventional SAC synthesis methods require high temperatures and pressures, complicated procedures, and expensive equipment. Recently, underpotential deposition (UPD) has been investigated as a promising alternative, yielding high-loading SAC electrodes under ambient conditions and within minutes. Yet only few studies have employed UPD to synthesize SACs, and all have been limited to UPD of Cu. In this work, a flexible UPD approach for synthesis of mono- and bi-metallic Cu, Fe, Co, and Ni SACs directly on oxidized, commercially available carbon electrodes is reported. The UPD mechanism is investigated using in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy and, finally, the catalytic performance of a UPD-synthesized Co SAC is assessed for electrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia. The findings expand upon the usefulness and versatility of UPD for SAC synthesis, with hopes of enabling future research toward realization of fast, reliable, and fully electrified SAC synthesis processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aidan Francis Meese
- Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Cade Napier
- Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - David J Kim
- Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Kali Rigby
- Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Tayler Hedtke
- Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Denis Leshchev
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973, USA
| | - Eli Stavitski
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973, USA
| | - Lucas R Parent
- Innovation Partnership Building, University of Connecticut, 159 Discovery Dr., Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Jae-Hong Kim
- Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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14
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Liu Y, Wei J, Yang Z, Zheng L, Zhao J, Song Z, Zhou Y, Cheng J, Meng J, Geng Z, Zeng J. Efficient tandem electroreduction of nitrate into ammonia through coupling Cu single atoms with adjacent Co 3O 4. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3619. [PMID: 38684692 PMCID: PMC11059385 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48035-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The nitrate (NO3-) electroreduction into ammonia (NH3) represents a promising approach for sustainable NH3 synthesis. However, the variation of adsorption configurations renders great difficulties in the simultaneous optimization of binding energy for the intermediates. Though the extensively reported Cu-based electrocatalysts benefit NO3- adsorption, one of the key issues lies in the accumulation of nitrite (NO2-) due to its weak adsorption, resulting in the rapid deactivation of catalysts and sluggish kinetics of subsequent hydrogenation steps. Here we report a tandem electrocatalyst by combining Cu single atoms catalysts with adjacent Co3O4 nanosheets to boost the electroreduction of NO3- to NH3. The obtained tandem catalyst exhibits a yield rate for NH3 of 114.0 mgNH 3 h-1 cm-2, which exceeds the previous values for the reported Cu-based catalysts. Mechanism investigations unveil that the combination of Co3O4 regulates the adsorption configuration of NO2- and strengthens the binding with NO2-, thus accelerating the electroreduction of NO3- to NH3.
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Grants
- National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFA1500500, 2019YFA0405600),National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (21925204), CAS project for young scientists in basic research (YSBR-051), Collaborative Innovation Program of Hefei Science Center, CAS (2022HSC-CIP004), International Partnership Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (123GJHZ2022101GC), the Joint Fund of the Yulin University and the Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy (YLU-DNL Fund 2022012), Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
- China Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents (BX20200324)
- the Anhui Natural Science Foundation for Young Scholars (2208085QB41), and the Fellowship of China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2021M693058)
- the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB0450401),CAS project for young scientists in basic research (YSBR-022)
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Liu
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, PR China
| | - Jie Wei
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, PR China
| | - Zhengwu Yang
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, PR China
| | - Lirong Zheng
- Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, PR China
| | - Jiankang Zhao
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, PR China
| | - Zhimin Song
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, PR China
| | - Yuhan Zhou
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, PR China
| | - Jiajie Cheng
- Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, PR China
| | - Junyang Meng
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, PR China
| | - Zhigang Geng
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, PR China.
| | - Jie Zeng
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, PR China.
- CAS Key Laboratory of Strongly-Coupled Quantum Matter Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, PR China.
- Key Laboratory of Surface and Interface Chemistry and Energy Catalysis of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, PR China.
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma'anshan, 243002, Anhui, PR China.
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15
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Zhou L, Chen X, Zhu S, You K, Wang ZJ, Fan R, Li J, Yuan Y, Wang X, Wang J, Chen Y, Jin H, Wang S, Lv JJ. Two-dimensional Cu Plates with Steady Fluid Fields for High-rate Nitrate Electroreduction to Ammonia and Efficient Zn-Nitrate Batteries. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202401924. [PMID: 38366134 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202401924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2024] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Nitrate electroreduction reaction (eNO3 -RR) to ammonia (NH3) provides a promising strategy for nitrogen utilization, while achieving high selectivity and durability at an industrial scale has remained challenging. Herein, we demonstrated that the performance of eNO3 -RR could be significantly boosted by introducing two-dimensional Cu plates as electrocatalysts and eliminating the general carrier gas to construct a steady fluid field. The developed eNO3 -RR setup provided superior NH3 Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 99 %, exceptional long-term electrolysis for 120 h at 200 mA cm-2, and a record-high yield rate of 3.14 mmol cm-2 h-1. Furthermore, the proposed strategy was successfully extended to the Zn-nitrate battery system, providing a power density of 12.09 mW cm-2 and NH3 FE of 85.4 %, outperforming the state-of-the-art eNO3 -RR catalysts. Coupled with the COMSOL multiphysics simulations and in situ infrared spectroscopy, the main contributor for the high-efficiency NH3 production could be the steady fluid field to timely rejuvenate the electrocatalyst surface during the electrocatalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Limin Zhou
- Zhejiang Province Key Lab of Leather Engineering, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
| | - Xueqiu Chen
- Zhejiang Province Key Lab of Leather Engineering, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
| | - Shaojun Zhu
- Zhejiang Province Key Lab of Leather Engineering, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
| | - Kun You
- Zhejiang Province Key Lab of Leather Engineering, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
| | - Zheng-Jun Wang
- Zhejiang Province Key Lab of Leather Engineering, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
| | - Ru Fan
- Zhejiang Province Key Lab of Leather Engineering, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
| | - Jun Li
- Zhejiang Province Key Lab of Leather Engineering, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
- Zhejiang Engineering Research Center for Electrochemical Energy Materials and Devices, Institute of New Materials and Industrial Technologies, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China
| | - Yifei Yuan
- Zhejiang Province Key Lab of Leather Engineering, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Jichang Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, Windsor, M4Y1M7, Canada
| | - Yihuang Chen
- Zhejiang Province Key Lab of Leather Engineering, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
| | - Huile Jin
- Zhejiang Province Key Lab of Leather Engineering, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
- Zhejiang Engineering Research Center for Electrochemical Energy Materials and Devices, Institute of New Materials and Industrial Technologies, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China
| | - Shun Wang
- Zhejiang Province Key Lab of Leather Engineering, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
- Zhejiang Engineering Research Center for Electrochemical Energy Materials and Devices, Institute of New Materials and Industrial Technologies, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China
| | - Jing-Jing Lv
- Zhejiang Province Key Lab of Leather Engineering, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
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16
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Fang L, Lu S, Wang S, Yang X, Song C, Yin F, Liu H. Defect engineering on electrocatalysts for sustainable nitrate reduction to ammonia: Fundamentals and regulations. Chemistry 2024; 30:e202303249. [PMID: 37997008 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202303249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Electrocatalytic nitrate (NO3 -) reduction to ammonia (NH3) is a "two birds-one stone" method that targets remediation of NO3 --containing sewage and production of valuable NH3. The exploitation of advanced catalysts with high activity, selectivity, and durability is a key issue for the efficient catalytic performance. Among various strategies for catalyst design, defect engineering has gained increasing attention due to its ability to modulate the electronic properties of electrocatalysts and optimize the adsorption energy of reactive species, thereby enhancing the catalytic performance. Despite previous progress, there remains a lack of mechanistic insights into the regulation of catalyst defects for NO3 - reduction. Herein, this review presents insightful understanding of defect engineering for NO3 - reduction, covering its background, definition, classification, construction, and underlying mechanisms. Moreover, the relationships between regulation of catalyst defects and their catalytic activities are illustrated by investigating the properties of electrocatalysts through the analysis of electronic band structure, charge density distribution, and controllable adsorption energy. Furthermore, challenges and perspectives for future development of defects in NO3RR are also discussed, which can help researchers to better understand the defect engineering in catalysts, and also inspire scientists entering into this promising field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Fang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1400714, Chongqing, China
| | - Shun Lu
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1400714, Chongqing, China
| | - Sha Wang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1400714, Chongqing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaohui Yang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1400714, Chongqing, China
| | - Cheng Song
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1400714, Chongqing, China
| | - Fengjun Yin
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1400714, Chongqing, China
| | - Hong Liu
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1400714, Chongqing, China
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17
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Xiong Y, Wang Y, Zhou J, Liu F, Hao F, Fan Z. Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction: Ammonia Synthesis and the Beyond. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2304021. [PMID: 37294062 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202304021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Natural nitrogen cycle has been severely disrupted by anthropogenic activities. The overuse of N-containing fertilizers induces the increase of nitrate level in surface and ground waters, and substantial emission of nitrogen oxides causes heavy air pollution. Nitrogen gas, as the main component of air, has been used for mass ammonia production for over a century, providing enough nutrition for agriculture to support world population increase. In the last decade, researchers have made great efforts to develop ammonia processes under ambient conditions to combat the intensive energy consumption and high carbon emission associated with the Haber-Bosch process. Among different techniques, electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) can achieve nitrate removal and ammonia generation simultaneously using renewable electricity as the power, and there is an exponential growth of studies in this research direction. Here, a timely and comprehensive review on the important progresses of electrochemical NO3RR, covering the rational design of electrocatalysts, emerging CN coupling reactions, and advanced energy conversion and storage systems is provided. Moreover, future perspectives are proposed to accelerate the industrialized NH3 production and green synthesis of chemicals, leading to a sustainable nitrogen cycle via prosperous N-based electrochemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuecheng Xiong
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, P. R. China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center (NPMM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, P. R. China
| | - Yunhao Wang
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, P. R. China
| | - Jingwen Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, P. R. China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center (NPMM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, P. R. China
| | - Fu Liu
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, P. R. China
| | - Fengkun Hao
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, P. R. China
| | - Zhanxi Fan
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, P. R. China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center (NPMM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, P. R. China
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, 518057, P. R. China
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18
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Zhang H, Wang H, Cao X, Chen M, Liu Y, Zhou Y, Huang M, Xia L, Wang Y, Li T, Zheng D, Luo Y, Sun S, Zhao X, Sun X. Unveiling Cutting-Edge Developments in Electrocatalytic Nitrate-to-Ammonia Conversion. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2312746. [PMID: 38198832 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202312746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
The excessive enrichment of nitrate in the environment can be converted into ammonia (NH3) through electrochemical processes, offering significant implications for modern agriculture and the potential to reduce the burden of the Haber-Bosch (HB) process while achieving environmentally friendly NH3 production. Emerging research on electrocatalytic nitrate reduction (eNitRR) to NH3 has gained considerable momentum in recent years for efficient NH3 synthesis. However, existing reviews on nitrate reduction have primarily focused on limited aspects, often lacking a comprehensive summary of catalysts, reaction systems, reaction mechanisms, and detection methods employed in nitrate reduction. This review aims to provide a timely and comprehensive analysis of the eNitRR field by integrating existing research progress and identifying current challenges. This review offers a comprehensive overview of the research progress achieved using various materials in electrochemical nitrate reduction, elucidates the underlying theoretical mechanism behind eNitRR, and discusses effective strategies based on numerous case studies to enhance the electrochemical reduction from NO3 - to NH3. Finally, this review discusses challenges and development prospects in the eNitRR field with an aim to guide design and development of large-scale sustainable nitrate reduction electrocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Zhang
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Environmental Pollution Control, National Engineering Research Center for Marine Aquaculture, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, 316004, China
| | - Haijian Wang
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Environmental Pollution Control, National Engineering Research Center for Marine Aquaculture, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, 316004, China
| | - Xiqian Cao
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Environmental Pollution Control, National Engineering Research Center for Marine Aquaculture, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, 316004, China
| | - Mengshan Chen
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Environmental Pollution Control, National Engineering Research Center for Marine Aquaculture, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, 316004, China
| | - Yuelong Liu
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan, 650092, China
| | - Yingtang Zhou
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Environmental Pollution Control, National Engineering Research Center for Marine Aquaculture, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, 316004, China
| | - Ming Huang
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
| | - Lu Xia
- ICFO-Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels, Barcelona, 08860, Spain
| | - Yan Wang
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
| | - Tingshuai Li
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
| | - Dongdong Zheng
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, China
| | - Yongsong Luo
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, China
| | - Shengjun Sun
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, China
| | - Xue Zhao
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan, 650092, China
| | - Xuping Sun
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, China
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19
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Askari MJ, Kallick JD, McCrory CCL. Selective Reduction of Aqueous Nitrate to Ammonium with an Electropolymerized Chromium Molecular Catalyst. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:7439-7455. [PMID: 38465608 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c12783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Nitrate (NO3-) is a common nitrogen-containing contaminant in agricultural, industrial, and low-level nuclear wastewater that causes significant environmental damage. In this work, we report a bioinspired Cr-based molecular catalyst incorporated into a redox polymer that selectively and efficiently reduces aqueous NO3- to ammonium (NH4+), a desirable value-added fertilizer component and industrial precursor, at rates of ∼0.36 mmol NH4+ mgcat-1 h-1 with >90% Faradaic efficiency for NH4+. The NO3- reduction reaction occurs through a cascade catalysis mechanism involving the stepwise reduction of NO3- to NH4+ via observed NO2- and NH2OH intermediates. To our knowledge, this is one of the first examples of a molecular catalyst, homogeneous or heterogenized, that is reported to reduce aqueous NO3- to NH4+ with rates and Faradaic efficiencies comparable to those of state-of-the-art solid-state electrocatalysts. This work highlights a promising and previously unexplored area of electrocatalyst research using polymer-catalyst composites containing complexes with oxophilic transition metal active sites for electrochemical nitrate remediation with nutrient recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maiko J Askari
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Jeremy D Kallick
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Charles C L McCrory
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Macromolecular Science and Engineering Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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20
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Liang S, Teng X, Xu H, Chen L, Shi J. H* Species Regulation by Mn-Co(OH) 2 for Efficient Nitrate Electro-reduction in Neutral Solution. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202400206. [PMID: 38253953 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202400206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
During the electrocatalytic NO3 - reduction reaction (NO3 - RR) under neutral condition, the activation of H2 O to generate H* and the inhibition of inter-H* species binding, are critically important but remain challenging for suppressing the non-desirable hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, a Mn-doped Co(OH)2 (named as Mn-Co(OH)2 ) has been synthesized by in situ reconstruction in the electrolyte, which is able to dissociate H2 O molecules but inhibits the binding of H* species between each other owing to the increased interatomic spacing by the Mn-doping. The Mn-Co(OH)2 electrocatalyst offers a faradaic efficiency (FE) of as high as 98.9±1.7% at -0.6 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and an energy efficiency (EE) of 49.90±1.03% for NH3 production by NO3 - RR, which are among the highest of the recently reported state-of-the-art catalysts in neutral electrolyte. Moreover, negligible degradation at -200 mA cm-2 has been found for at least 500 h, which is the longest catalytic durations ever reported. This work paves a novel approach for the design and synthesis of efficient NO3 - RR electrocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaozhen Liang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Molecular & Process Engineering, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China
| | - Xue Teng
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Molecular & Process Engineering, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China
| | - Heng Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Molecular & Process Engineering, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China
| | - Lisong Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Molecular & Process Engineering, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China
- Institute of Eco-Chongming, Shanghai, 202162, P. R. China
| | - Jianlin Shi
- State Key Laboratory of High-Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructures, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, P. R. China
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21
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Hai Y, Li X, Cao Y, Wang X, Meng L, Yang Y, Luo M. Ammonia Synthesis via Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction Using NiCoO 2 Nanoarrays on a Copper Foam. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:11431-11439. [PMID: 38382004 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c16456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Ammonia (NH3) plays a vital role in industrial and agricultural development. The electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (eNO3RR) is an effective method to produce NH3 under environmental conditions but also requires considerably active and selective electrocatalysts. Herein, a copper foam was used as a conductive substrate for the electrode materials. Specifically, a Co metal-organic framework (Co-MOF) was in situ grown on the copper foam, etched, and calcined to form NiCoO2@Cu nanosheets, which were used as cathode electrodes for the eNO3RR. In 0.1 M Na2SO4 with 0.1 M NaNO3 electrolyte, NiCoO2@Cu nanosheets realized an NH3 yield of 5940.73 μg h-1 cm-2 at -0.9 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), with a Faradaic efficiency of 94.2% at -0.7 V vs RHE. After 33 h of the catalytic reaction, the selectivity of NH3-N increased to 99.7%. The excellent electrocatalytic performance of NiCoO2@Cu nanosheets was attributed to the apparent synergistic effect between the Ni atoms and the Co atoms of bimetallic materials. This study shows that the Ni doping of NiCoO2@Cu nanosheets effectively facilitated the adsorption of NO3- on NiCoO2@Cu, and it promoted the eNO3RR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Hai
- State Key Laboratory of High-efficiency Utilization of Coal and Green Chemical Engineering, School of chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, PR China
| | - Xiaoman Li
- State Key Laboratory of High-efficiency Utilization of Coal and Green Chemical Engineering, School of chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, PR China
| | - Yue Cao
- State Key Laboratory of High-efficiency Utilization of Coal and Green Chemical Engineering, School of chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, PR China
| | - Xinyan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of High-efficiency Utilization of Coal and Green Chemical Engineering, School of chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, PR China
| | - Linghu Meng
- State Key Laboratory of High-efficiency Utilization of Coal and Green Chemical Engineering, School of chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, PR China
| | - Yang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of High-efficiency Utilization of Coal and Green Chemical Engineering, School of chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, PR China
| | - Min Luo
- State Key Laboratory of High-efficiency Utilization of Coal and Green Chemical Engineering, School of chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, PR China
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22
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Bu Y, Yu W, Zhang W, Wang C, Ding J, Gao G. Engineering the Co(II)/Co(III) Redox Cycle and Co δ+ Species Shuttle for Nitrate-to-Ammonia Conversion. NANO LETTERS 2024; 24:2812-2820. [PMID: 38396345 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c04920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Electroreduction of waste nitrate to valuable ammonia offers a green solution for environmental restoration and energy storage. However, the electrochemical self-reconstruction of catalysts remains a huge challenge in terms of maintaining their stability, achieving the desired active sites, and managing metal leaching. Herein, we present an electrical pulse-driven Co surface reconstruction-coupled Coδ+ shuttle strategy for the precise in situ regulation of the Co(II)/Co(III) redox cycle on the Co-based working electrode and guiding the dissolution and redeposition of Co-based particles on the counter electrode. As result, the ammonia synthesis performance and stability are significantly promoted while cathodic hydrogen evolution and anodic ammonia oxidation in a membrane-free configuration are effectively blocked. A high rate of ammonia production of 1.4 ± 0.03 mmol cm-2 h-1 is achieved at -0.8 V in a pulsed system, and the corresponding nitrate-to-ammonia Faraday efficiency is 91.7 ± 1.0%. This work holds promise for the regulation of catalyst reactivity and selectivity by engineering in situ controllable structural and chemical transformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongguang Bu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Wenjing Yu
- Research Center of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
| | - Wenkai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Chao Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225002, China
| | - Jie Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
- Shenzhen Research Institute of Nanjing University, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Guandao Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
- Chongqing Innovation Research Institute of Nanjing University, Chongqing 401121, China
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23
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Goddard WA, Musgrave CB. Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction Catalyzed by Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Borides. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:1899-1907. [PMID: 38345503 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c00054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
We investigated 2D transition metal borides (MBenes) for the efficient conversion of nitrate to ammonia. MBenes have been previously shown to bind oxygen with extraordinary strength, which should translate toward selective adsorption of nitrate in aqueous media. Using Density Functional Theory, we screened MBenes by computing their nitrate and water adsorption energies, seeking materials with strong nitrate binding and weak water binding. We identified MnB, CrB, and VB as the best materials for selective nitrate adsorption and proceeded by computing their free energies for generating ammonia. Of the three candidates, CrB requires the lowest overpotential, making it the best candidate. To further decrease the overpotential, we doped the CrB MBene with secondary transition metals and found the addition of Mn to the active site further reduced the overpotential. We then computed the reaction mechanism grand canonically to observe the effect of applied potential on the free energy landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- William A Goddard
- Materials and Process Simulation Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Charles B Musgrave
- Materials and Process Simulation Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
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24
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Liao W, Wang J, Ni G, Liu K, Liu C, Chen S, Wang Q, Chen Y, Luo T, Wang X, Wang Y, Li W, Chan TS, Ma C, Li H, Liang Y, Liu W, Fu J, Xi B, Liu M. Sustainable conversion of alkaline nitrate to ammonia at activities greater than 2 A cm -2. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1264. [PMID: 38341446 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45534-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Nitrate (NO3‒) pollution poses significant threats to water quality and global nitrogen cycles. Alkaline electrocatalytic NO3‒ reduction reaction (NO3RR) emerges as an attractive route for enabling NO3‒ removal and sustainable ammonia (NH3) synthesis. However, it suffers from insufficient proton (H+) supply in high pH conditions, restricting NO3‒-to-NH3 activity. Herein, we propose a halogen-mediated H+ feeding strategy to enhance the alkaline NO3RR performance. Our platform achieves near-100% NH3 Faradaic efficiency (pH = 14) with a current density of 2 A cm-2 and enables an over 99% NO3--to-NH3 conversion efficiency. We also convert NO3‒ to high-purity NH4Cl with near-unity efficiency, suggesting a practical approach to valorizing pollutants into valuable ammonia products. Theoretical simulations and in situ experiments reveal that Cl-coordination endows a shifted d-band center of Pd atoms to construct local H+-abundant environments, through arousing dangling O-H water dissociation and fast *H desorption, for *NO intermediate hydrogenation and finally effective NO3‒-to-NH3 conversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanru Liao
- Hunan Joint International Research Center for Carbon Dioxide Resource Utilization, State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, School of Physics, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, PR China
| | - Jun Wang
- Hunan Joint International Research Center for Carbon Dioxide Resource Utilization, State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, School of Physics, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, PR China
| | - Ganghai Ni
- Hunan Joint International Research Center for Carbon Dioxide Resource Utilization, State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, School of Physics, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, PR China
| | - Kang Liu
- Hunan Joint International Research Center for Carbon Dioxide Resource Utilization, State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, School of Physics, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, PR China
| | - Changxu Liu
- Centre for Metamaterial Research & Innovation, Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QF, UK
| | - Shanyong Chen
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, PR China
| | - Qiyou Wang
- Hunan Joint International Research Center for Carbon Dioxide Resource Utilization, State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, School of Physics, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, PR China
| | - Yingkang Chen
- Hunan Joint International Research Center for Carbon Dioxide Resource Utilization, State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, School of Physics, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, PR China
| | - Tao Luo
- Hunan Joint International Research Center for Carbon Dioxide Resource Utilization, State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, School of Physics, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, PR China
| | - Xiqing Wang
- Hunan Joint International Research Center for Carbon Dioxide Resource Utilization, State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, School of Physics, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, PR China
| | - Yanqiu Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, PR China
| | - Wenzhang Li
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, PR China
| | - Ting-Shan Chan
- National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu, 300092, Taiwan
| | - Chao Ma
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, PR China
| | - Hongmei Li
- Hunan Joint International Research Center for Carbon Dioxide Resource Utilization, State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, School of Physics, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, PR China
| | - Ying Liang
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, 410004, PR China
| | - Weizhen Liu
- School of Environment and Energy, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Wastes Pollution Control and Recycling, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China
| | - Junwei Fu
- Hunan Joint International Research Center for Carbon Dioxide Resource Utilization, State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, School of Physics, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, PR China.
| | - Beidou Xi
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 100012, Beijing, PR China.
| | - Min Liu
- Hunan Joint International Research Center for Carbon Dioxide Resource Utilization, State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, School of Physics, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, PR China.
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25
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Liu L, Jia K, Su W, Zhao H, Huang Z, Wang G, Fan W, Zhang R, Bai H. Nitrate Reduction by NiFe-LDH/CeO 2: Understanding the Synergistic Effect between Dual-Metal Sites and Dual Adsorption. Inorg Chem 2024; 63:2756-2765. [PMID: 38252459 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c04266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (EC-NITRR) shows a significant advantage for green reuse of the nitrate (NO3-) pollutant. However, the slow diffusion reaction limits the reaction rate in practical EC-NITRR, causing an unsatisfactory ammonia (NH3) yield. In this work, a multifunctional NiFe-LDH/CeO2 with the dual adsorption effect (physisorption and chemisorption) and dual-metal sites (Ce3+ and Fe2+) was fabricated by the electrodeposition method. NiFe-LDH/CeO2 performed an expected ability of enrichment for NO3- through the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, and the polymetallic structure provided abundant sites for effective reaction of NO3-. At-0.6 V vs RHE, the ammonia (NH3) yield of NiFe-LDH/CeO2 reached 335.3 μg h-1 cm-2 and the selectivity of NH3 was 24.2 times that of NO2-. The nitrogen source of NH3 was confirmed by 15NO3- isotopic labeling. Therefore, this work achieved the recycling of the NO3- pollutant by synergy of enrichment and catalysis, providing an alternative approach for the recovery of NO3- from wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijing Liu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China
| | - Kangkang Jia
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China
| | - Wenyang Su
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China
| | - Huaiquan Zhao
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China
| | - Zhenzhen Huang
- College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, P. R. China
| | - Guanhua Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, P. R. China
| | - Weiqiang Fan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China
| | - Rongxian Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China
| | - Hongye Bai
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China
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26
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Zhao Y, Liang S, Zhao Y, Zhang H, Zheng X, Li Z, Chen L, Tang J. Hollow mesoporous carbon supported Co-modified Cu/Cu 2O electrocatalyst for nitrate reduction reaction. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 655:208-216. [PMID: 37935072 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.10.125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
The electroreduction of nitrate (NO3-) pollutants to ammonia (NH3) provides a sustainable approach for both wastewater treatment and NH3 synthesis. However, electroreduction of nitrate requires multi-step electron and proton transfer, resulting in a sluggish reaction rate. Herein, we synthesized a Co-modified Cu/Cu2O catalyst supported on hollow mesoporous carbon substrates (Co/Cu/Cu2O-MesoC) by a one-step microwave-assisted reduction method. At -0.25 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), Co/Cu/Cu2O-MesoC shows a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 100 ± 1% in 0.1 M NO3-. Notably, the maximum NH3 yield rate (YieldNH3) reaches 6.416 ± 0.78 mmol mgcat-1h-1 at -0.45 V vs. RHE, which is much better than most of the previous reports. Electrochemical evaluation and in-situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy reveal that the addition of Co could promote water electrolysis, and the generated H* is involved in the following hydrogenation of intermediates, ultimately leading to faster kinetics and energetics during electrocatalytic conversion of NO3- to NH3. This synergetic electrocatalysis strategy opens a new avenue for the development of high-activity, selectivity, and stability catalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxiao Zhao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Shaozhen Liang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Yingji Zhao
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
| | - Hongjuan Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Xiang Zheng
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Zhiqian Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Lisong Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Molecular and Process Engineering, SKLPMPE, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; Institute of Eco-Chongming, Shanghai 202162, China.
| | - Jing Tang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Molecular and Process Engineering, SKLPMPE, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; Institute of Eco-Chongming, Shanghai 202162, China.
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27
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Huang Z, Yang B, Zhou Y, Luo W, Chen G, Liu M, Liu X, Ma R, Zhang N. Tungsten Nitride/Tungsten Oxide Nanosheets for Enhanced Oxynitride Intermediate Adsorption and Hydrogenation in Nitrate Electroreduction to Ammonia. ACS NANO 2023; 17:25091-25100. [PMID: 38054420 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c07734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Electrochemical NO3- reduction reaction (NO3RR) is a promising technique for green NH3 synthesis. Tungsten oxide (WO3) has been regarded as an effective electrocatalyst for electrochemical NH3 synthesis. However, the weak adsorption and the sluggish hydrogenation of oxynitride intermediates (NOx, e.g., *NO3 and *NO2) over WO3 materials hinder the efficiency of converting NO3- to NH3. Herein, we design a heterostructure of tungsten nitride (WN) and WO3 (WN/WO3) nanosheets to optimize *NO3 and *NO2 adsorptions and facilitate *NO2 hydrogenations to achieve a highly efficient electrochemical NO3RR to produce NH3. Theoretical calculations predict that locally introducing WN into WO3 will shorten the distance between adjacent W atoms, resulting in *NO3 and *NO2 being strongly adsorbed on W active sites in the form of bidentate ligands instead of the relatively weak monodentate ligands. Furthermore, WN facilitates H2O dissociation to supply the requisite protons, which is beneficial for *NO2 hydrogenations. Inspired by theoretical prediction, WN/WO3 nanosheets are successfully fabricated through a high-temperature nitridation process. The transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy investigations confirm that the amorphous WN has been locally introduced in situ into WO3 nanosheets to form a composite heterostructure. The as-prepared WN/WO3 nanosheets exhibit a high Faraday efficiency of 88.9 ± 7.2% and an appreciable yield rate of 8.4 mg h-1 cm-2 toward NH3 production, which is much higher than that of individual WO3 and WN. The enhanced adsorption and hydrogenation behaviors of *NOx over WN/WO3 are characterized by in situ Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, consistent with the theoretical predictions. This work develops facile and effective heterostructure nanomaterials to tune the adsorption and hydrogenation of NOx for boosting the efficiency from NO3- to NH3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhencong Huang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Baopeng Yang
- School of Physics and Electronics, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Yulong Zhou
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Wuqing Luo
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Gen Chen
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Min Liu
- School of Physics and Electronics, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Xiaohe Liu
- School of Chemical Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Renzhi Ma
- Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan
| | - Ning Zhang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
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28
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Yu Z, Ren T, Xie J, Yu H, Deng K, Wang Z, Wang H, Wang L, Xu Y. Yttrium atomically incorporated into Co(OH)F nanowires enables efficient electrochemical reduction of nitrate to ammonia. Chem Commun (Camb) 2023; 59:13875-13878. [PMID: 37933464 DOI: 10.1039/d3cc03293k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
A new kind of electrocatalyst consisting of yttrium-doped Co(OH)F (Y-Co(OH)F) nanowires was synthesized by one hydrothermal method for nitrate electroreduction to ammonia. It was demonstrated that the rare earth element Y, as an oxophilic metal, can be approximated as Lewis acid sites enhancing nitrate adsorption on the catalyst surface. Therefore, the Y-Co(OH)F exhibits excellent nitrate reduction performance, reaching an optimal ammonia production rate of 0.2149 mmol h-1 cm-2 and ammonia faradaic efficiency of 91.81%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuan Yu
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green-Chemical Synthesis Technology, College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P. R. China.
| | - Tianlun Ren
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green-Chemical Synthesis Technology, College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P. R. China.
| | - Jiangwei Xie
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green-Chemical Synthesis Technology, College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P. R. China.
| | - Hongjie Yu
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green-Chemical Synthesis Technology, College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P. R. China.
| | - Kai Deng
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green-Chemical Synthesis Technology, College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P. R. China.
| | - Ziqiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green-Chemical Synthesis Technology, College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P. R. China.
| | - Hongjing Wang
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green-Chemical Synthesis Technology, College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P. R. China.
| | - Liang Wang
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green-Chemical Synthesis Technology, College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P. R. China.
| | - You Xu
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green-Chemical Synthesis Technology, College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, P. R. China.
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Qu Y, Dai T, Cui Y, Ding G, Zhu Y, Wang Z, Jiang Q. Heterostructured Co-Doped-Cu 2 O/Cu Synergistically Promotes Water Dissociation for Improved Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023:e2308246. [PMID: 37967357 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202308246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO3 RR) has recently emerged as a promising approach for sustainable ammonia synthesis and wastewater treatment, while the activity and selectivity for ammonia production have remained low. Herein, rational design and controllable synthesis of heterostructured Co-doped Cu2 O/Cu nanoparticles embedded in carbon framework (Co-Cu2 O/Cu@C) is reported for NO3 RR. The Co-Cu2 O/Cu@C exhibits a high ammonia yield rate of 37.86 mg h-1 mg-1 cat. with 98.1% Faraday efficiency, which is higher than those obtained for most of the Cu-based catalysts under similar conditions. Density functional theory calculations indicated that the strong electronic interactions at Cu/Co-Cu2 O interface facilitate the N species deoxygenation process and doping of Co promotes water dissociation to generate * H for the N species hydrogenation process, leading to enhanced NO3 RR performance. This work provides a new design strategy toward high-performance catalysts toward NO3 RR for ammonia generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanbin Qu
- Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130022, China
| | - Tianyi Dai
- Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130022, China
| | - Yuhuan Cui
- Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130022, China
| | - Guopeng Ding
- Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130022, China
| | - Yongfu Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130022, China
| | - Zhili Wang
- Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130022, China
| | - Qing Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130022, China
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30
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Zhang M, Song K, Liu C, Zhang Z, He WQ, Huang H, Liu J. Electron-rich Au nanocrystals/Co 3O 4 interface for enhanced electrochemical nitrate reduction into ammonia. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 650:193-202. [PMID: 37402325 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.06.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
Solar-driven electrochemical NO3- reduction reaction (NO3-RR) is a clean and sustainable strategy that can convert pollutant NO3- in wastewater to value-added NH3. In recent years, cobalt oxides-based catalysts have shown their intrinsic catalytic properties toward NO3-RR but still have room for improvement through catalyst design. Coupling metal oxides with noble metal has been demonstrated to improve electrochemical catalytic efficiency. Here, we use Au species to tune the surface structure of Co3O4 and improve the efficiency of NO3-RR to NH3. The obtained Au nanocrystals-Co3O4 catalyst exhibited an onset potential of 0.54 V vs RHE, NH3 yield rate of 27.86 µg/h·cm2, and Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 83.1% at 0.437 V vs RHE in an H-cell, which is much higher than Au small species (Au clusters or single atoms)-Co3O4 (15.12 µg/h·cm2) and pure Co3O4 (11.38 µg/h·cm2), respectively. Combined experiments with theory calculations, we attributed the enhanced performance of Au nanocrystals-Co3O4 to the reduced energy barrier of *NO hydrogenation to the *NHO and suppression of HER, which originated from the charge transfer from Au to Co3O4. Using an amorphous silicon triple-junction (a-Si TJ) as the solar cell and an anion exchange membrane electrolyzer (AME), an unassisted solar-driven NO3-RR to NH3 prototype was realized with a yield rate of 4.65 mg/h and FE of 92.1%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maolin Zhang
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Kepeng Song
- Electron Microscopy Center, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
| | - Chen Liu
- Division of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Zedong Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Wen-Qing He
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Hao Huang
- Division of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Jialei Liu
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
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Zhao R, Yan Q, Yu L, Yan T, Zhu X, Zhao Z, Liu L, Xi J. A Bi-Co Corridor Construction Effectively Improving the Selectivity of Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction toward Ammonia by Nearly 100. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2306633. [PMID: 37736698 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202306633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Improving the selective ammonia production capacity of electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO3 RR) at ambient conditions is critical to the future development and industrial application of electrosynthesis of ammonia. However, the reaction involves multi-proton and electron transfer as well as the desorption and underutilization of intermediates, posing a challenge to the selectivity of NO3 RR. Here the electrodeposition site of Co is modulated by depositing Bi at the bottom of the catalyst, thus obtaining the Co+Bi@Cu NW catalyst with a Bi-Co corridor structure. In 50 mm NO3 - , Co+Bi@Cu NW exhibits a highest Faraday efficiency of ≈100% (99.51%), an ammonia yield rate of 1858.2 µg h-1 cm-2 and high repeatability at -0.6 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. Moreover, the change of NO2 - concentration on the catalyst surface observed by in situ reflection absorption imaging and the intermediates of the NO3 RR process detected by electrochemical in situ Raman spectroscopy together verify the NO2 - trapping effect of the Bi-Co corridor structure. It is believed that the measure of modulating the deposition site of Co by loading Bi element is an easy-to-implement general method for improving the selectivity of NH3 production as well as the corresponding scientific research and applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rundong Zhao
- Institute of Materials Research, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Qiuyu Yan
- Institute of Materials Research, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Lihong Yu
- School of Materials and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen Polytechnic University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Tian Yan
- Institute of Materials Research, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Xuya Zhu
- Institute of Materials Research, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Zongyan Zhao
- Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, China
| | - Le Liu
- Institute of Materials Research, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Jingyu Xi
- Institute of Materials Research, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
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32
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Li M, Li J, Huang J, Wu B, Chen F, Liu X. Binary Metal-Oxide Active Sites Derived from Cu-Doped MIL-88 with Enhanced Electroactivity for Nitrate Reduction. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:16653-16661. [PMID: 37865968 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c05606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Nitrate-to-ammonia electrochemical conversion is important for decreasing water pollution and increasing the production of valuable ammonia. However, achieving high ammonium production without undesirable byproducts is difficult. Cu-doped MIL-88-derived bimetallic oxide catalysts with electrocatalytically active Fe-O-Cu bridges, which have high NO3- adsorption energy and facilitate N-intermediate hydrogenation, are developed for NH4+ production. Cu doping promotes hybridization between the O 2p of NO3- and Fe-Cu 3d, facilitating the adsorption and reduction of NO3- with a low Tafel slope (62.1 mV dec-1) and high ammonia yield (1698.8 μg·h-1·cm-2). The cathode efficiency is stable for seven cycles. Cu adjacent to Fe sites inhibits hydrogen evolution, promotes NO3- adsorption, and decreases the intermediate adsorption energy barrier. This study provides new opportunities for fabricating diverse binary metal oxides with new interfaces as efficient cathode materials for selective electroreduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao Li
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jiacheng Li
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Jiaxin Huang
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Boyang Wu
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Fei Chen
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xiang Liu
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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33
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Lv W, Deng J, Wu D, He B, Tang G, Ma D, Jia Y, Lv P. Similar electronic state effect enables excellent activity for nitrate-to-ammonia electroreduction on both high- and low-density double-atom catalysts. J Chem Phys 2023; 159:164704. [PMID: 37873963 DOI: 10.1063/5.0162029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Double-atom catalysts (DACs) for harmful nitrate (NO3-) electroreduction to valuable ammonia (eNO3RR) is attractive for both environmental remediation and energy transformation. However, the limited metal loading in most DACs largely hinders their applications in practical catalytic applications. Therefore, exploring ultrahigh-density (UHD) DACs with abundant active metal centers and excellent eNO3RR activity is highly desired under the site-distance effect. Herein, starting from the experimental M2N6 motif deposited on graphene, we firstly screened the low-density (LD) Mn2N6 and Fe2N6 DACs with high eNO3RR activity and then established an appropriate activity descriptor for the LD-DAC system. By utilizing this descriptor, the corresponding Mn2N6 and Fe2N6 UHD-DACs with dynamic, thermal, thermodynamic, and electrochemical stabilities, are identified to locate at the peak of activity volcano, exhibiting rather-low limiting potentials of -0.25 and -0.38 V, respectively. Further analysis in term of spin state and orbital interaction, confirms that the electronic state effect similar to that of LD-DACs enable the excellent eNO3RR activity to be maintained in the UHD-DACs. These findings highlight the promising application of Mn2N6 and Fe2N6 UHD-DACs in nitrate electroreduction for NH3 production and provide impetus for further experimental exploration of ultrahigh-density DACs based on their intrinsic electronic states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjing Lv
- Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
| | - Jianming Deng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Electronic Functional Materials and Devices, Huizhou University, Huizhou 516001, Guangdong, China
| | - Donghai Wu
- Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
| | - Bingling He
- Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
| | - Gang Tang
- Advanced Research Institute of Multidisciplinary Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Dongwei Ma
- Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
- Joint Center for Theoretical Physics, and Center for Topological Functional Materials, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
| | - Yu Jia
- Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
- Joint Center for Theoretical Physics, and Center for Topological Functional Materials, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
- International Laboratory for Quantum Functional Materials of Henan, and School of Physics, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Peng Lv
- Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Electronic Functional Materials and Devices, Huizhou University, Huizhou 516001, Guangdong, China
- Joint Center for Theoretical Physics, and Center for Topological Functional Materials, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
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Liang WP, Zhang XM, Bai PW, Zhang Z, Chen JH, Liu W, Sun ZH, Feng Y, Yang G, Tong HM, Xie T. Cascade N 2 Reduction Process with DBD Plasma Oxidation and Electrocatalytic Reduction for Continuous Ammonia Synthesis. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:14558-14568. [PMID: 37728882 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c05443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Due to the extremely high bond energy of N≡N (∼941 kJ/mol), the traditional Haber-Bosch process of ammonia synthesis is known as an energy-intensive and high CO2-emission industry. In this paper, a cascade N2 reduction process with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma oxidation and electrocatalytic reduction as an alternative route is first proposed. N2 is oxidized to be reactive nitrogen species (RNS) by nonthermal plasma, which would then be absorbed by KOH solution and electroreduced to NH4+. It is found that the production of NOx is a function of discharge length, discharge power, and gas flow rate. Afterward, the cobalt catalyst is used in the process of electrocatalytic reduction of ammonia, which shows high selectivity (Faradic efficiency (FE) above 90%) and high yield of ammonia (45.45 mg/h). Finally, the cascade plasma oxidation and electrocatalytic reduction for ammonia synthesis is performed. Also, the performance of the reaction system is evaluated. It is worth mentioning that a stable and sustainable ammonia production efficiency of 16.21 mg/h is achieved, and 22.16% of NOx obtained by air activation is converted into NH4+. This work provides a demonstration for further industrial application of ammonia production with DBD plasma oxidation and electrocatalytic reduction techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Peng Liang
- Institute of Industrial Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, P. R. China
| | - Xiao-Ming Zhang
- Xi'an Aerospace Yuan Dongli Engineering Co.,Ltd., Xi'an, Shaanxi 710100, P. R. China
| | - Pan-Wei Bai
- Institute of Industrial Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, P. R. China
| | - Zhenyu Zhang
- Institute of Industrial Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, P. R. China
| | - Jia-He Chen
- Institute of Industrial Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, P. R. China
| | - Wei Liu
- Institute of Industrial Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, P. R. China
| | - Zi-Han Sun
- Institute of High Voltage Physics and Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, P. R. China
| | - Yue Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment, Centre for Plasma Biomedicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, P. R. China
| | - Guidong Yang
- Institute of Industrial Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, P. R. China
| | - Hui-Min Tong
- Instrument Analysis Center of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, P. R. China
| | - Tao Xie
- Institute of Industrial Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, P. R. China
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35
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Xu J, Zhang S, Liu H, Liu S, Yuan Y, Meng Y, Wang M, Shen C, Peng Q, Chen J, Wang X, Song L, Li K, Chen W. Breaking Local Charge Symmetry of Iron Single Atoms for Efficient Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202308044. [PMID: 37483078 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202308044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
The electrochemical conversion of nitrate pollutants into value-added ammonia is a feasible way to achieve artificial nitrogen cycle. However, the development of electrocatalytic nitrate-to-ammonia reduction reaction (NO3 - RR) has been hampered by high overpotential and low Faradaic efficiency. Here we develop an iron single-atom catalyst coordinated with nitrogen and phosphorus on hollow carbon polyhedron (denoted as Fe-N/P-C) as a NO3 - RR electrocatalyst. Owing to the tuning effect of phosphorus atoms on breaking local charge symmetry of the single-Fe-atom catalyst, it facilitates the adsorption of nitrate ions and enrichment of some key reaction intermediates during the NO3 - RR process. The Fe-N/P-C catalyst exhibits 90.3 % ammonia Faradaic efficiency with a yield rate of 17980 μg h-1 mgcat -1 , greatly outperforming the reported Fe-based catalysts. Furthermore, operando SR-FTIR spectroscopy measurements reveal the reaction pathway based on key intermediates observed under different applied potentials and reaction durations. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the optimized free energy of NO3 - RR intermediates is ascribed to the asymmetric atomic interface configuration, which achieves the optimal electron density distribution. This work demonstrates the critical role of atomic-level precision modulation by heteroatom doping for the NO3 - RR, providing an effective strategy for improving the catalytic performance of single atom catalysts in different electrochemical reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingwen Xu
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Shengbo Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Center for Environmental and Energy Nanomaterials, Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 230031, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Hengjie Liu
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, University of Science and Technology of China, 230029, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Shuang Liu
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Yuan Yuan
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Yahan Meng
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Mingming Wang
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Chunyue Shen
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Qia Peng
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Jinghao Chen
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xiaoyang Wang
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Li Song
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, University of Science and Technology of China, 230029, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Ke Li
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Sensors, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Smart Agricultural Technology and Equipment, School of Information and Computer, Anhui Agricultural University, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, Anhui, China
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36
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Chang Z, Meng G, Chen Y, Chen C, Han S, Wu P, Zhu L, Tian H, Kong F, Wang M, Cui X, Shi J. Dual-Site W-O-CoP Catalysts for Active and Selective Nitrate Conversion to Ammonia in a Broad Concentration Window. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2304508. [PMID: 37344386 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202304508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Environmentally friendly electrochemical reduction of contaminated nitrate to ammonia (NO3 - RR) is a promising solution for large quantity ammonia (NH3 ) production, which, however, is a complex multi-reaction process involving coordination between different reaction intermediates of nitrate reduction and water decomposition-provided active hydrogen (Hads ) species. Here, a dual-site catalyst of [W-O] group-doped CoP nanosheets (0.6W-O-CoP@NF) has been designed to synergistically catalyze the NO3 - RR and water decomposition, especially the reactions between the intermediates of NO3 - RR and water decomposition-provided Hads species. This catalytic NO3 - RR exhibits an extremely high NH3 yield of 80.92 mg h-1 cm-2 and a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 95.2% in 1 m KOH containing 0.1 m NO3 - . Significantly, 0.6W-O-CoP@NF presents greatly enhanced NH3 yield and FE in a wide NO3 - concentration ranges of 0.001-0.1 m compared to the reported. The excellent NO3 - RR performance is attributed to a synergistic catalytic effect between [W-O] and CoP active sites, in which the doped [W-O] group promotes the water decomposition to supply abundant Hads , and meanwhile modulates the electronic structure of Co for strengthened adsorption of Hads and the hydrogen (H2 ) release prevention, resultantly facilitating the NO3 - RR. Finally, a Zn-NO3 - battery has been assembled to simultaneously achieve three functions: electricity output, ammonia production, and nitrate treatment in wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziwei Chang
- Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, P. R. China
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, P. R. China
| | - Ge Meng
- Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, P. R. China
| | - Yafeng Chen
- Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, P. R. China
| | - Chang Chen
- Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, P. R. China
| | - Shuhe Han
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Molecular Plus, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, P. R. China
| | - Ping Wu
- Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, P. R. China
| | - Libo Zhu
- Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, P. R. China
| | - Han Tian
- Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, P. R. China
| | - Fantao Kong
- Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, P. R. China
| | - Min Wang
- Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, P. R. China
| | - Xiangzhi Cui
- Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, P. R. China
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310024, P. R. China
| | - Jianlin Shi
- Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, P. R. China
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37
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Sarker S, Choi JH, Lee HH, Kim DS, Cho HK. Surface-Confined Ultra-Low Scale Pd Engineered Layered Co(OH) 2 toward High-Performance Hydrazine Electrooxidation in Alkaline Saline Water. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2300639. [PMID: 37119402 PMCID: PMC10375158 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202300639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Applications of abundant seawater in electrochemical energy conversion are constrained due to the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction and the corrosive chlorine oxidation reaction. Hence, it is imperative to develop an efficient anodic reaction alternative suitable for coupling with the cathodic counterpart. Due to a low thermodynamic oxidation potential, hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) offers a unique pathway to overcome these challenges. Herein, spontaneously in situ reduced atomic scale Pd surface-confined to electrochemically prepared layered Co(OH)2 on carbon cloth is synthesized. This study reveals the hydrazine and Pd-dependent morphological evolution of Co(OH)2 and its Pd hybrids into nanoparticulate form. Unlike various layered double hydroxides, Pd integrated Co(OH)2 benefits from the contribution of Co(OH)2 as an active HzOR catalyst and the reductive support to host Pd, resulting in synergistically improved performances. Mass activities of Pd in alkaline and alkaline saline electrolyte are 11.24 and 9.83 A mgPd -1 at 200 mV, respectively, corresponding to the highest HzOR activities among noble metals. The optimized Pd hybrid demonstrates ≈6.5 times the current density relative to PtC (14.91 mA cm-2 at 200 mV) in alkaline saline water with hydrazine. These findings would be beneficial to realize high overpotential anodic alternatives and reduce over-dependence on freshwater for electrocatalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swagotom Sarker
- School of Advanced Materials Science and EngineeringSungkyunkwan University (SKKU)2066, Seobu‐ro, Jangan‐guSuwon‐siGyeonggi‐do16419Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Hoon Choi
- School of Advanced Materials Science and EngineeringSungkyunkwan University (SKKU)2066, Seobu‐ro, Jangan‐guSuwon‐siGyeonggi‐do16419Republic of Korea
| | - Hak Hyeon Lee
- School of Advanced Materials Science and EngineeringSungkyunkwan University (SKKU)2066, Seobu‐ro, Jangan‐guSuwon‐siGyeonggi‐do16419Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Su Kim
- School of Advanced Materials Science and EngineeringSungkyunkwan University (SKKU)2066, Seobu‐ro, Jangan‐guSuwon‐siGyeonggi‐do16419Republic of Korea
| | - Hyung Koun Cho
- School of Advanced Materials Science and EngineeringSungkyunkwan University (SKKU)2066, Seobu‐ro, Jangan‐guSuwon‐siGyeonggi‐do16419Republic of Korea
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38
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Wang Y, Dutta A, Iarchuk A, Sun C, Vesztergom S, Broekmann P. Boosting Nitrate to Ammonia Electroconversion through Hydrogen Gas Evolution over Cu-foam@mesh Catalysts. ACS Catal 2023; 13:8169-8182. [PMID: 37342835 PMCID: PMC10278070 DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.3c00716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is often considered parasitic to numerous cathodic electro-transformations of high technological interest, including but not limited to metal plating (e.g., for semiconductor processing), the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), the dinitrogen → ammonia conversion (N2RR), and the nitrate reduction reaction (NO3-RR). Herein, we introduce a porous Cu foam material electrodeposited onto a mesh support through the dynamic hydrogen bubble template method as an efficient catalyst for electrochemical nitrate → ammonia conversion. To take advantage of the intrinsically high surface area of this spongy foam material, effective mass transport of the nitrate reactants from the bulk electrolyte solution into its three-dimensional porous structure is critical. At high reaction rates, NO3-RR becomes, however, readily mass transport limited because of the slow nitrate diffusion into the three-dimensional porous catalyst. Herein, we demonstrate that the gas-evolving HER can mitigate the depletion of reactants inside the 3D foam catalyst through opening an additional convective nitrate mass transport pathway provided the NO3-RR becomes already mass transport limited prior to the HER onset. This pathway is achieved through the formation and release of hydrogen bubbles facilitating electrolyte replenishment inside the foam during water/nitrate co-electrolysis. This HER-mediated transport effect "boosts" the effective limiting current of nitrate reduction, as evidenced by potentiostatic electrolyses combined with an operando video inspection of the Cu-foam@mesh catalysts under operating NO3-RR conditions. Depending on the solution pH and the nitrate concentration, NO3-RR partial current densities beyond 1 A cm-2 were achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuzhen Wang
- Department
of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Science, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- State
Key Laboratory of Eco-Hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi’an University of Technology, No.5 South Jinhua Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710048, China
| | - Abhijit Dutta
- Department
of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Science, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- National
Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Catalysis, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Anna Iarchuk
- Department
of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Science, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- National
Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Catalysis, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Changzhe Sun
- Department
of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Science, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Soma Vesztergom
- Department
of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Science, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- National
Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Catalysis, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- MTA−ELTE
Momentum Interfacial Electrochemistry Research Group, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter
sétány 1/A, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Peter Broekmann
- Department
of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Science, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- National
Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Catalysis, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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39
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Ma J, Zhang Y, Wang B, Jiang Z, Zhang Q, Zhuo S. Interfacial Engineering of Bimetallic Ni/Co-MOFs with H-Substituted Graphdiyne for Ammonia Electrosynthesis from Nitrate. ACS NANO 2023; 17:6687-6697. [PMID: 36930780 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c12491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The electrochemical synthesis of ammonia is highly dependent on the coupling reaction between nitrate and water, for which an electrocatalyst with a multifunctional interface is anticipated to promote the deoxygenation and hydrogenation of nitrate with water. Herein, by engineering the surface of bimetallic Ni/Co-MOFs (NiCoBDC) with hydrogen-substituted graphdiyne (HsGDY), a hybrid nanoarray of NiCoBDC@HsGDY with a multifunctional interface has been achieved toward scale-up of the nitrate-to-ammonia conversion. On the one hand, a partial electron transfers from Ni2+ to the coordinatively unsaturated Co2+ on the surface of NiCoBDC, which not only promotes the deoxygenation of *NO3 on Co2+ but also activates the water-dissociation to *H on Ni2+. On the other hand, the conformal coated HsGDY facilitates both electrons and NO3- ions gathering on the interface between NiCoBDC and HsGDY, which moves forward the rate-determining step from the deoxygenation of *NO3 to the hydrogenation of *N with both *H on Ni2+ and *H2O on Co2+. As a result, such a NiCoBDC@HsGDY nanoarray delivers high NH3 yield rates with Faradaic efficiency above 90% over both wide potential and pH windows. When assembled into a galvanic Zn-NO3- battery, a power density of 3.66 mW cm-2 is achieved, suggesting its potential in the area of aqueous Zn-based batteries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahao Ma
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an Key Laboratory of Functional Organic Porous Materials, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, People's Republic of China
- Research & Development Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University in Shenzhen, Shenzhen City, 518063, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuting Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an Key Laboratory of Functional Organic Porous Materials, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, People's Republic of China
| | - Biwen Wang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, People's Republic of China
| | - Zixin Jiang
- Queen Mary University of London Engineering School, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiuyu Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an Key Laboratory of Functional Organic Porous Materials, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, People's Republic of China
| | - Sifei Zhuo
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an Key Laboratory of Functional Organic Porous Materials, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, People's Republic of China
- Research & Development Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University in Shenzhen, Shenzhen City, 518063, People's Republic of China
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40
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Akram MA, Zhu B, Cai J, Qin S, Hou X, Jin P, Wang F, He Y, Li X, Feng L. Hierarchical Nanospheres with Polycrystalline Ir&Cu and Amorphous Cu 2 O toward Energy-Efficient Nitrate Electrolysis to Ammonia. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2206966. [PMID: 36617517 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202206966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Electrochemical reduction reaction of nitrate (NITRR) provides a sustainable route toward the green synthesis of ammonia. Nevertheless, it remains challenging to achieve high-performance electrocatalysts for NITRR especially at low overpotentials. In this work, hierarchical nanospheres consisting of polycrystalline Iridium&copper (Ir&Cu) and amorphous Cu2 O (Cux Iry Oz NS) have been fabricated. The optimal species Cu0.86 Ir0.14 Oz delivers excellent catalytic performance with a desirable NH3 yield rate (YR) up to 0.423 mmol h-1 cm-2 (or 4.8 mg h-1 mgcat -1 ) and a high NH3 Faradaic efficiency (FE) over 90% at a low overpotential of 0.69 V (or 0 VRHE ), where hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is almost negligible. The electrolyzer toward NITRR and hydrazine oxidation (HzOR) is constructed for the first time with an electrode pair of Cu0.86 Ir0.14 Oz //Cu0.86 Ir0.14 Oz , yielding a high energy efficiency (EE) up to 87%. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that the dispersed Ir atom provides active site that not only promotes the NO3 - adsorption but also modulates the H adsorption/desorption to facilitate the proton supply for the hydrogenation of *N, hence boosting the NITRR. This work thus points to the importance of both morphological/structural and compositional engineering for achieving the highly efficient catalysts toward NITRR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Awais Akram
- College of Energy, Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovation, Key Laboratory of Core Technology of High Specific Energy Battery and Key Materials for Petroleum and Chemical Industry, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Botao Zhu
- College of Energy, Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovation, Key Laboratory of Core Technology of High Specific Energy Battery and Key Materials for Petroleum and Chemical Industry, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Jiahao Cai
- College of Energy, Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovation, Key Laboratory of Core Technology of High Specific Energy Battery and Key Materials for Petroleum and Chemical Industry, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Shuaibo Qin
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, China
| | - Xiangdie Hou
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, the Key Lab of Health Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of Suzhou, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Peng Jin
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, China
| | - Feng Wang
- College of Energy, Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovation, Key Laboratory of Core Technology of High Specific Energy Battery and Key Materials for Petroleum and Chemical Industry, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Yunpeng He
- College of Energy, Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovation, Key Laboratory of Core Technology of High Specific Energy Battery and Key Materials for Petroleum and Chemical Industry, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Xiaohong Li
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, the Key Lab of Health Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis of Suzhou, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Lai Feng
- College of Energy, Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovation, Key Laboratory of Core Technology of High Specific Energy Battery and Key Materials for Petroleum and Chemical Industry, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
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41
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Chu N, Jiang Y, Liang Q, Liu P, Wang D, Chen X, Li D, Liang P, Zeng RJ, Zhang Y. Electricity-Driven Microbial Metabolism of Carbon and Nitrogen: A Waste-to-Resource Solution. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:4379-4395. [PMID: 36877891 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c07588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Electricity-driven microbial metabolism relies on the extracellular electron transfer (EET) process between microbes and electrodes and provides promise for resource recovery from wastewater and industrial discharges. Over the past decades, tremendous efforts have been dedicated to designing electrocatalysts and microbes, as well as hybrid systems to push this approach toward industrial adoption. This paper summarizes these advances in order to facilitate a better understanding of electricity-driven microbial metabolism as a sustainable waste-to-resource solution. Quantitative comparisons of microbial electrosynthesis and abiotic electrosynthesis are made, and the strategy of electrocatalyst-assisted microbial electrosynthesis is critically discussed. Nitrogen recovery processes including microbial electrochemical N2 fixation, electrocatalytic N2 reduction, dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), and abiotic electrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia (Abio-NRA) are systematically reviewed. Furthermore, the synchronous metabolism of carbon and nitrogen using hybrid inorganic-biological systems is discussed, including advanced physicochemical, microbial, and electrochemical characterizations involved in this field. Finally, perspectives for future trends are presented. The paper provides valuable insights on the potential contribution of electricity-driven microbial valorization of waste carbon and nitrogen toward a green and sustainable society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Chu
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yong Jiang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Qinjun Liang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Panpan Liu
- School of Ecology and Environment, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Donglin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Xueming Chen
- Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Rural Waste Recycling Technology, College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Daping Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Peng Liang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Raymond Jianxiong Zeng
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yifeng Zhang
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Lyngby, Denmark
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42
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Barrera L, Silcox R, Giammalvo K, Brower E, Isip E, Bala Chandran R. Combined Effects of Concentration, pH, and Polycrystalline Copper Surfaces on Electrocatalytic Nitrate-to-Ammonia Activity and Selectivity. ACS Catal 2023. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.2c05136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Barrera
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2350 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104, United States
| | - Rachel Silcox
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2350 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104, United States
| | - Katherine Giammalvo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2350 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104, United States
| | - Erika Brower
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2350 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104, United States
| | - Emily Isip
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2350 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104, United States
| | - Rohini Bala Chandran
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2350 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104, United States
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43
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Duan W, Chen Y, Ma H, Lee JF, Lin YJ, Feng C. In Situ Reconstruction of Metal Oxide Cathodes for Ammonium Generation from High-Strength Nitrate Wastewater: Elucidating the Role of the Substrate in the Performance of Co 3O 4-x. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:3893-3904. [PMID: 36813703 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c09147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
In situ electrochemical reconstruction is important for transition metal oxides explored as electrocatalysts for electrochemical nitrate reduction reactions (ENRRs). Herein, we report substantial performance enhancement of ammonium generation on Co, Fe, Ni, Cu, Ti, and W oxide-based cathodes upon reconstruction. Among them, the performance of a freestanding ER-Co3O4-x/CF (Co3O4 grown on Co foil subjected to electrochemical reduction) cathode was superior to its unreconstructed counterpart and other cathodes; e.g., an ammonium yield of 0.46 mmol h-1 cm-2, an ammonium selectivity of 100%, and a Faradaic efficiency of 99.9% were attained at -1.3 V in a 1400 mg L-1 NO3--N solution. The reconstruction behaviors were found to vary with the underlying substrate. The inert carbon cloth only acted as a supporting matrix for immobilizing Co3O4, without appreciable electronic interactions between them. A combination of physicochemical characterizations and theoretical modeling provided compelling evidence that the CF-promoted self-reconstruction of Co3O4 induced the evolution of metallic Co and the creation of oxygen vacancies, which promoted and optimized interfacial nitrate adsorption and water dissociation, thus boosting the ENRR performance. The ER-Co3O4-x/CF cathode performed well over wide ranges of pH and applied current and at high nitrate loadings, ensuring its high efficacy in treating high-strength real wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weijian Duan
- The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
| | - Yanyan Chen
- The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
| | - Huanxin Ma
- The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
| | - Jyh-Fu Lee
- National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu, Taiwan 30076, R. O. C
| | - Yu-Jung Lin
- National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu, Taiwan 30076, R. O. C
| | - Chunhua Feng
- The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China
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44
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Shen Z, Yu Y, Zhao Z, Zhang S, Xu S, Yang S, Hu Y. Highly distributed amorphous copper catalyst for efficient ammonia electrosynthesis from nitrate. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 445:130651. [PMID: 37056012 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Electroreduction of nitrate to ammonia, instead of N2, is beneficial toward pollution control and value-added chemical production. Metallic catalysts have been developed for enhancing ammonia evolution efficiency from nitrate based on the crystalline state of the catalyst. However, the development of amorphous metallic catalysts with more active sites is still unexplored. Herein, a highly distributed amorphous Cu catalyst exhibiting an outstanding ammonia yield rate of 1.42 mol h-1 g-1 and Faradaic efficiency of 95.7%, much superior to crystallized Cu, is demonstrated for nitrate-reduction to ammonia. Experimental and computational results reveal that amorphizing Cu increases the number of catalytic sites, enhances the NO3- adsorption strength with flat adsorption configurations, and facilitates the potential determining step of *NO protonation to *NHO. The amorphous Cu catalyst shows good electrochemical stability at - 0.3 V, while crystallization weakens the activity at a more negative potential. This study confirms the crystallinity-activity relationship of amorphous catalysts and unveils their potential-limited electrochemical stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Shen
- Engineering Research Center for Eco-Dying & Finishing of Textiles, Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China; Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Research Center for Green and Low-carbon Dyeing & Finishing, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China; School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Yingsong Yu
- Engineering Research Center for Eco-Dying & Finishing of Textiles, Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China; Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Research Center for Green and Low-carbon Dyeing & Finishing, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Zhiwei Zhao
- Engineering Research Center for Eco-Dying & Finishing of Textiles, Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China; Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Research Center for Green and Low-carbon Dyeing & Finishing, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Shangkun Zhang
- Engineering Research Center for Eco-Dying & Finishing of Textiles, Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China; Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Research Center for Green and Low-carbon Dyeing & Finishing, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Shilin Xu
- Engineering Research Center for Eco-Dying & Finishing of Textiles, Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China; Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Research Center for Green and Low-carbon Dyeing & Finishing, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Shiyu Yang
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Yi Hu
- Engineering Research Center for Eco-Dying & Finishing of Textiles, Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China; Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Research Center for Green and Low-carbon Dyeing & Finishing, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China; Key Laboratory of Intelligent Textile and Flexible Interconnection of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China.
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45
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Zhang Y, Zheng H, Zhou K, Ye J, Chu K, Zhou Z, Zhang L, Liu T. Conjugated Coordination Polymer as a New Platform for Efficient and Selective Electroreduction of Nitrate into Ammonia. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2209855. [PMID: 36651132 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202209855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Electroreduction of nitrate into ammonia (NRA) provides a sustainable route to convert the widespread nitrate pollutants into high-value-added products under ambient conditions, which unfortunately suffers from unsatisfactory selectivity due to the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Previous strategies of modifying the metal sites of catalysts often met a dilemma for simultaneously promoting activity and selectivity toward NRA. Here, a general strategy is reported to enable an efficient and selective NRA process through coordination modulation of single-atom catalysts to tailor the local proton concentration at the catalyst surface. By contrast, two analogous Ni-single-atom enriched conjugated coordination polymers (NiO4 -CCP and NiN4 -CCP) with different coordination motifs are investigated for the proof-of-concept study. The NiO4 -CCP catalyst exhibits an ammonia yield rate as high as 1.83 mmol h-1 mg-1 with a Faradaic efficiency of 94.7% under a current density of 125 mA cm-2 , outperforming the NiN4 -CCP catalyst. These experimental and theoretical studies both suggest that the strategy of coordination modulation can not only accelerate the NRA by adjusting the adsorption energies of NRA intermediates on the metal sites but also inhibit the HER through regulating the proton migration with contributions from the metal-hydrated cations adsorbed at the catalyst surface, thus achieving simultaneous enhancement of NRA selectivity and activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yizhe Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Hui Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Kangjie Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Jinyu Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Kaibin Chu
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Zhiyou Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Longsheng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Tianxi Liu
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
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Li B, Xia F, Liu Y, Tan H, Gao S, Kaelin J, Liu Y, Lu K, Marks TJ, Cheng Y. Co 2Mo 6S 8 Catalyzes Nearly Exclusive Electrochemical Nitrate Conversion to Ammonia with Enzyme-like Activity. NANO LETTERS 2023; 23:1459-1466. [PMID: 36758173 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c04828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Electrocatalytic nitrate to ammonia conversion is a key reaction for energy and environmental sustainability. This reaction involves complex multi electron and proton transfer steps, and is impeded by the lack of catalyst for promoting both reactivity and ammonia selectivity. Here, we demonstrate active motifs based on the Chevrel phase Co2Mo6S8 exhibit an enzyme-like high turnover frequency of ∼95.1 s-1 for nitrate electroreduction to ammonia. We reveal strong synergy of multiple binding sites on this catalyst, such that the ligand effect of Co steers Had* toward hydrogenation other than hydrogen evolution, the ensemble effect of Co, and the spatial confinement effect that promote the full hydrogenation of NOx to ammonia without N-N coupling. The catalyst exhibits almost exclusive ammonia conversion with a Faradaic efficiency of 97.1% and ammonia yielding rate of 115.5 mmol·gcat-1·h-1 in neutral electrolytes. The high activity was also confirmed in electrolytes with dilute nitrate and high chloride concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bomin Li
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois 60115, United States
| | - Fan Xia
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois 60115, United States
| | - Yiqi Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, Untied States
| | - Haiyan Tan
- Institute of Material Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, United States
| | - Siyuan Gao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois 60115, United States
| | - Jacob Kaelin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois 60115, United States
| | - Yuzi Liu
- Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Ke Lu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois 60115, United States
| | - Tobin J Marks
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, Untied States
| | - Yingwen Cheng
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois 60115, United States
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Du Z, Yang K, Du H, Li B, Wang K, He S, Wang T, Ai W. Facile and Scalable Synthesis of Self-Supported Zn-Doped CuO Nanosheet Arrays for Efficient Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:5172-5179. [PMID: 36650087 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c19011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
CuO has been regarded as a promising catalyst for the electrochemical reduction of nitrate (NO3-RR) to ammonium (NH3); however, the intrinsic activity is greatly restricted by its poor electrical property. In this work, self-supported Zn-doped CuO nanosheet arrays (Zn-CuO NAs) are synthesized for NO3-RR, where the Zn dopant regulates the electronic structure of CuO to significantly accelerate the interfacial charge transfer and inner electron transport kinetics. The Zn-CuO NAs are constructed by a one-step etching of commercial brass (Cu64Zn36 alloy) in 0.1 M NaOH solution, which experiences a corrosion-oxidation-reconstruction process. Initially, the brass undergoes a dealloying procedure to produce nanosized Cu, which is immediately oxidized to the Cu2O unit with a low valence state. Subsequently, Cu2O is further oxidized to the CuO unit and reconstructed into nanosheets with the coprecipitation of Zn2+. For NO3-RR, Zn-CuO NAs show a high NH3 production rate of 945.1 μg h-1 cm-2 and a Faradaic efficiency of up to 95.6% at -0.7 V in 0.1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte with 0.01 M NaNO3, which outperforms the majority of the state-of-the-art catalysts. The present work offers a facile yet very efficient strategy for the scale-up synthesis of Zn-CuO NAs for high-performance NH3 production from NO3-RR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuzhu Du
- Ningbo Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University & Shaanxi Institute of Flexible Electronics (SIFE), Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), Xi'an 710072, China
| | - Kai Yang
- Ningbo Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University & Shaanxi Institute of Flexible Electronics (SIFE), Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), Xi'an 710072, China
| | - Hongfang Du
- Ningbo Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University & Shaanxi Institute of Flexible Electronics (SIFE), Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), Xi'an 710072, China
- Fujian Cross Strait Institute of Flexible Electronics (Future Technologies), Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China
| | - Boxin Li
- Ningbo Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University & Shaanxi Institute of Flexible Electronics (SIFE), Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), Xi'an 710072, China
| | - Ke Wang
- Ningbo Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University & Shaanxi Institute of Flexible Electronics (SIFE), Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), Xi'an 710072, China
| | - Song He
- Ningbo Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University & Shaanxi Institute of Flexible Electronics (SIFE), Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), Xi'an 710072, China
| | - Tingfeng Wang
- Ningbo Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University & Shaanxi Institute of Flexible Electronics (SIFE), Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), Xi'an 710072, China
| | - Wei Ai
- Ningbo Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University & Shaanxi Institute of Flexible Electronics (SIFE), Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), Xi'an 710072, China
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48
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Chu J, Liu Z, Jiang L, Cai F, Sun C, Kong A, Ding H. Coordination polymers-derived core-shell Co@N–C nanostructures as efficient dual functional catalysts for nitrate electroreduction and Fenton-like catalytic dye degradation. J SOLID STATE CHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2022.123485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
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49
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Mou T, Wang Y, Deák P, Li H, Long J, Fu X, Zhang B, Frauenheim T, Xiao J. Predictive Theoretical Model for the Selective Electroreduction of Nitrate to Ammonia. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:9919-9927. [PMID: 36256962 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c02452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The electrochemical reduction of nitrate (eNO3RR) emerges as a promising route for decentralized ammonia synthesis. However, the competitive production of nitrite at low overpotentials is a challenging issue. Herein, using the combination of density functional theory and microkinetic modeling, we show that the selectivity for NH3 surpasses that of NO2- at -0.66 VRHE, which nicely reproduced the experimental value on titania. NH2OH* → NH2* is the kinetically controlling step at a low overpotential for NH3 generation, while NO2* → HNO2 has the highest barrier to producing nitrite. Based on these mechanistic insights, we suggest that ΔG1 (NH2OH* → NH2*) - ΔG2 (NO2* → HNO2) can serve as a descriptor to predict the S(NO2-)/S(NH3) crossover potential. Such a model is verified by the experimental results on Ag, Cu, TiO2-x, Fe3O4, and Fe-MoS2 and can be extended to the Au catalyst. Thus, this work sheds light on the rational design of catalysts that are simultaneously energy-efficient and selective to NH3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Mou
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian116023, P. R. China
- Shenzhen JL Computational and Applied Research Institute, Shenzhen518131, P. R. China
- Bremen Center for Computational Materials Science, University of Bremen, Bremen28359, Germany
| | - Yuting Wang
- School of Science, Institute of Molecular Plus, Tianjin University, Tianjin300072, P. R. China
| | - Peter Deák
- Bremen Center for Computational Materials Science, University of Bremen, Bremen28359, Germany
| | - Huan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian116023, P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, P. R. China
| | - Jun Long
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian116023, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoyan Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian116023, P. R. China
| | - Bin Zhang
- School of Science, Institute of Molecular Plus, Tianjin University, Tianjin300072, P. R. China
| | - Thomas Frauenheim
- Shenzhen JL Computational and Applied Research Institute, Shenzhen518131, P. R. China
- Bremen Center for Computational Materials Science, University of Bremen, Bremen28359, Germany
- Beijing Computational Science Research Center, Beijing100193, P. R. China
| | - Jianping Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian116023, P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, P. R. China
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50
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Xie L, Sun S, Hu L, Chen J, Li J, Ouyang L, Luo Y, Alshehri AA, Kong Q, Liu Q, Sun X. In Situ Derived Co 2B Nanosheet Array: A High-Efficiency Electrocatalyst for Ambient Ammonia Synthesis via Nitrate Reduction. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:49650-49657. [PMID: 36301122 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c12175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Ambient ammonia synthesis via electrochemical nitrate (NO3-) reduction is regarded as a green alternative to the Haber-Bosch process. Herein, we report the in situ derivation of an amorphous Co2B layer on a Co3O4 nanosheet array on a Ti mesh (Co2B@Co3O4/TM) for efficient NH3 production via selective electroreduction of NO3- under ambient conditions. In 0.1 M PBS and 0.1 M NaNO3, Co2B@Co3O4/TM exhibits a maximum Faradaic efficiency of 97.0% at -0.70 V and a remarkable NH3 yield of 8.57 mg/h/cm2 at -1.0 V, with durability for stable NO3--to-NH3 conversion over eight recycling tests and 12 h of electrolysis. Additionally, it can be applied as an efficient cathode material for Zn-NO3- batteries to produce NH3 while generating electricity. The catalytic mechanisms on Co2B@Co3O4 are further revealed by theoretical calculations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisi Xie
- Institute for Advanced Study, Chengdu University, Chengdu610106, Sichuan, China
| | - Shengjun Sun
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu610054, Sichuan, China
| | - Long Hu
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu610054, Sichuan, China
| | - Jie Chen
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu610054, Sichuan, China
| | - Jun Li
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu610054, Sichuan, China
| | - Ling Ouyang
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu610054, Sichuan, China
| | - Yongsong Luo
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu610054, Sichuan, China
| | - Abdulmohsen Ali Alshehri
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80203, Jeddah21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Qingquan Kong
- Institute for Advanced Study, Chengdu University, Chengdu610106, Sichuan, China
| | - Qian Liu
- Institute for Advanced Study, Chengdu University, Chengdu610106, Sichuan, China
| | - Xuping Sun
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu610054, Sichuan, China
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan250014, Shandong, China
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