1
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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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Zhang M, Liu Y, Duan Y, Liu X, Wang YQ. Ce-doped copper oxide and copper vanadate Cu 3VO 4 hybrid for boosting nitrate electroreduction to ammonia. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 671:258-269. [PMID: 38810340 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.05.189] [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: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
The electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia reaction (ENO3RR) holds great potential as a cost-effective method for synthesizing ammonia. This work designed a cerium (Ce) doped Cu2+1O/Cu3VO4 catalyst. The coupling of vanadium-based oxides with Cu2+1O effectively adjusts the catalyst's electronic structure, addressing the inherent issues of limited activity and low conductivity in typical copper-based oxides; moreover, Ce doping generates oxygen vacancies (Ov), providing more active sites and thereby enhancing the ENO3RR performance. The catalyst exhibits superior NH3Faradaic efficiency (93.7 %) with a NH3 yield of 18.905 mg h-1 cm-2at -0.5 V vs. RHE under alkaline conditions. This study provides guidance for the design of highly efficient catalysts for ENO3RR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Zhang
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Chemistry and Physics of Rare Earth Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University, 24 Zhaojun Road, Hohhot 010021, PR China
| | - Yang Liu
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Chemistry and Physics of Rare Earth Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University, 24 Zhaojun Road, Hohhot 010021, PR China
| | - Yun Duan
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Chemistry and Physics of Rare Earth Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University, 24 Zhaojun Road, Hohhot 010021, PR China
| | - Xu Liu
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Chemistry and Physics of Rare Earth Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University, 24 Zhaojun Road, Hohhot 010021, PR China
| | - Yan-Qin Wang
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Chemistry and Physics of Rare Earth Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University, 24 Zhaojun Road, Hohhot 010021, PR China.
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3
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Levi J, Jung B, Jacobs HP, Luo Y, Lee CS, Hong K, Long M, Donoso J, Garcia-Segura S, Wong MS, Rittmann BE, Westerhoff P. Optimized bimetallic ratios for durable membrane catalyst-film reactors in treating nitrate-polluted water. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 943:173711. [PMID: 38857799 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Nitrate contamination of surface and ground water is a significant global challenge. Most current treatment technologies separate nitrate from water, resulting in concentrated wastestreams that need to be managed. Membrane Catalyst-film Reactors (MCfR), which utilize in-situ produced nanocatalysts attached to hydrogen-gas-permeable hollow-fiber membranes, offer a promising alternative for denitrification without generating a concentrated wastestream. In hydrogen-based MCfRs, bimetallic nano-scale catalysts reduce nitrate to nitrite and then further to di-nitrogen or ammonium. This study first investigated how different molar ratios of indium-to-palladium (In:Pd) catalytic films influenced denitrification rates in batch-mode MCfRs. We evaluated eleven In-Pd bimetallic catalyst films, with In:Pd molar ratios from 0.0029 to 0.28. Nitrate-removal exhibited a volcano-shaped dependence on In content, with the highest nitrate removal (0.19 mgNO3--N-min-1 L-1) occurring at 0.045 mol In/mol Pd. Using MCfRs with the optimal In:Pd loading, we treated nitrate-spiked tap water in continuous-flow for >60 days. Nitrate removal and reduction occurred in three stages: substantial denitrification in the first stage, a decline in denitrification efficiency in the second stage, and stabilized denitrification in the third stage. Factors contributing to the slowdown of denitrification were: loss of Pd and In catalysts from the membrane surface and elevated pH due to hydroxide ion production. Sustained nitrate removal will require that these factors be mitigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Levi
- Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-3005, United States; Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-5701, United States
| | - Bongyeon Jung
- Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-3005, United States; Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-5701, United States
| | - Hunter P Jacobs
- Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, United States
| | - Yihao Luo
- Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-5701, United States
| | - Chung-Seop Lee
- Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-3005, United States
| | - Kiheon Hong
- Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, United States
| | - Min Long
- Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-3005, United States; Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-5701, United States
| | - Juan Donoso
- Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, United States
| | - Sergi Garcia-Segura
- Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-3005, United States
| | - Michael S Wong
- Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, United States
| | - Bruce E Rittmann
- Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-3005, United States; Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-5701, United States
| | - Paul Westerhoff
- Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-3005, United States.
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4
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Zhou B, Yu L, Zhang W, Liu X, Zhang H, Cheng J, Chen Z, Zhang H, Li M, Shi Y, Jia F, Huang Y, Zhang L, Ai Z. Cu 1-Fe Dual Sites for Superior Neutral Ammonia Electrosynthesis from Nitrate. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202406046. [PMID: 38771293 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202406046] [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: 04/02/2024] [Revised: 05/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
The electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) is able to convert nitrate (NO3 -) into reusable ammonia (NH3), offering a green treatment and resource utilization strategy of nitrate wastewater and ammonia synthesis. The conversion of NO3 - to NH3 undergoes water dissociation to generate active hydrogen atoms and nitrogen-containing intermediates hydrogenation tandemly. The two relay processes compete for the same active sites, especially under pH-neutral condition, resulting in the suboptimal efficiency and selectivity in the electrosynthesis of NH3 from NO3 -. Herein, we constructed a Cu1-Fe dual-site catalyst by anchoring Cu single atoms on amorphous iron oxide shell of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) for the electrochemical NO3RR, achieving an impressive NO3 - removal efficiency of 94.8 % and NH3 selectivity of 99.2 % under neutral pH and nitrate concentration of 50 mg L-1 NO3 --N conditions, greatly surpassing the performance of nZVI counterpart. This superior performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect of enhanced NO3 - adsorption on Fe sites and strengthened water activation on single-atom Cu sites, decreasing the energy barrier for the rate-determining step of *NO-to-*NOH. This work develops a novel strategy of fabricating dual-site catalysts to enhance the electrosynthesis of NH3 from NO3 -, and presents an environmentally sustainable approach for neutral nitrate wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biao Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Engineering Research Center of Photoenergy Utilization for Pollution Control and Carbon Reduction of Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied & Environmental Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, P. R. China
| | - Linghao Yu
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Engineering Research Center of Photoenergy Utilization for Pollution Control and Carbon Reduction of Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied & Environmental Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, P. R. China
| | - Weixing Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Engineering Research Center of Photoenergy Utilization for Pollution Control and Carbon Reduction of Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied & Environmental Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, P. R. China
| | - Xupeng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Engineering Research Center of Photoenergy Utilization for Pollution Control and Carbon Reduction of Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied & Environmental Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, P. R. China
| | - Hao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Engineering Research Center of Photoenergy Utilization for Pollution Control and Carbon Reduction of Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied & Environmental Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, P. R. China
| | - Jundi Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Engineering Research Center of Photoenergy Utilization for Pollution Control and Carbon Reduction of Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied & Environmental Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, P. R. China
| | - Ziyue Chen
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Engineering Research Center of Photoenergy Utilization for Pollution Control and Carbon Reduction of Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied & Environmental Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, P. R. China
| | - Hao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Engineering Research Center of Photoenergy Utilization for Pollution Control and Carbon Reduction of Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied & Environmental Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, P. R. China
| | - Meiqi Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, P. R. China
| | - Yanbiao Shi
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, P. R. China
| | - Falong Jia
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Engineering Research Center of Photoenergy Utilization for Pollution Control and Carbon Reduction of Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied & Environmental Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, P. R. China
| | - Yi Huang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Engineering Research Center of Photoenergy Utilization for Pollution Control and Carbon Reduction of Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied & Environmental Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, P. R. China
| | - Lizhi Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, P. R. China
| | - Zhihui Ai
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Engineering Research Center of Photoenergy Utilization for Pollution Control and Carbon Reduction of Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied & Environmental Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, P. R. China
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5
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Zhu Y, Duan W, Huang Z, Tian L, Wu W, Dang Z, Feng C. An Anti-Scaling Strategy for Electrochemical Wastewater Treatment: Leveraging Tip-Enhanced Electric Fields. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:13145-13156. [PMID: 38980824 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c03572] [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: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Electrode scaling poses a critical barrier to the adoption of electrochemical processes in wastewater treatment, primarily due to electrode inactivation and increased internal reactor resistance. We introduce an antiscaling strategy using tip-enhanced electric fields to redirect scale-forming compounds (e.g., Mg(OH)2 and CaCO3) from the electrode-electrolyte interface to the bulk solution. Our study utilized Cu nanowires (Cu NW) with high-curvature nanostructures as the cathode, in contrast to Cu nanoparticles (Cu NP), Cu foil (CF), and Cu mesh (CM), to evaluate the electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) performance in hard water conditions. The Cu NW/CF cathode demonstrated superior NO3RR efficiency, with an apparent rate constant (Kapp) of 1.04 h-1, significantly outperforming control electrodes under identical conditions (Kapp < 0.051 h-1). Through experimental and theoretical analysis, including COMSOL simulations, we show that the high-curvature design of Cu NW induced localized electric field enhancements, propelling OH- ions away from the electrode surface into the bulk solution, thus mitigating scale formation on the cathode. Testing with real nitrate-contaminated wastewater confirms that the Cu NW/CF cathode maintained excellent denitrification efficiency over a 60-day period. This study offers a promising perspective on preventing electrode scaling in electrochemical wastewater treatment, paving the way for more efficient and sustainable practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihui Zhu
- 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
| | - 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
| | - Ziyuan Huang
- 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
| | - Li Tian
- 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
| | - Wenbo Wu
- 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
| | - Zhi Dang
- 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
| | - 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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6
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Wang B, Ma J, Yang R, Meng B, Yang X, Zhang Q, Zhang B, Zhuo S. Bridging Nickel-MOF and Copper Single Atoms/Clusters with H-Substituted Graphdiyne for the Tandem Catalysis of Nitrate to Ammonia. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202404819. [PMID: 38728151 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202404819] [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: 03/10/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
Interfacial engineering of synergistic catalysts is one of the keys to achieving multiple proton-coupled electron transfer processes in nitrate-to-ammonia conversion. Herein, by joining ultrathin nickel-based metal-organic framework (denoted Ni-MOF) nanosheets with few-layered hydrogen-substituted graphdiyne-supported copper single atoms and clusters (denoted HsGDY@Cu), a tandem catalyst of Ni-MOFs@HsGDY@Cu with dual-active interfaces was developed for the concerted catalysis of nitrate-to-ammonia. In such a system, the sandwiched HsGDY layer could serve as a bridge to connect the coordinated unsaturated Ni2+ sites with Cu single atoms/clusters in a limited range of 0 to 3.6 nm. From Ni2+ to Cu, via the hydrogen spillover process, the hydrogen radicals (H⋅) generated at the unsaturated Ni2+ sites could migrate across HsGDY to the Cu sites to participate in the transformation of *HNO3 to NH3. From Cu to Ni2+, bypassing the higher reaction energy for *HNO3 formation on the Ni2+ sites, the NO2 - detached from the Cu sites could diffuse onto the unsaturated Ni2+ sites to form NH3 as well. The combined results make this hybrid a tandem catalyst with dual active sites for the catalysis of nitrate-to-ammonia conversion with improved Faradaic efficiency at lower overpotentials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biwen Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an Key Laboratory of Functional Organic Porous Materials, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710072, P. R. China
| | - Jiahao Ma
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an Key Laboratory of Functional Organic Porous Materials, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710072, P. R. China
- Research & Development Institute of, Northwestern Polytechnical University in Shenzhen, Shenzhen City, 518063, P. R. China
| | - Rong Yang
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Bocheng Meng
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an Key Laboratory of Functional Organic Porous Materials, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710072, P. R. China
| | - Xiubo Yang
- Analytical & Testing Center, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710072, P. R. China
| | - Qiuyu Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an Key Laboratory of Functional Organic Porous Materials, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710072, P. R. China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Sifei Zhuo
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an Key Laboratory of Functional Organic Porous Materials, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710072, P. R. China
- Research & Development Institute of, Northwestern Polytechnical University in Shenzhen, Shenzhen City, 518063, P. R. China
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7
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Zhang S, Dou M, Liu M, Yi J, Chen M, Wu L. Electrosynthesis of Ammonia from Nitrate Using a Self-Activated Carbon Fiber Paper. Inorg Chem 2024. [PMID: 39028929 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.4c02353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/21/2024]
Abstract
While electrochemically upcycling nitrate wastes to valuable ammonia is considered a very promising pathway for tackling the environmental and energy challenges underlying the nitrogen cycle, the effective catalysts involved are mainly limited to metal-based materials. Here, we report that commercial carbon fiber paper, which is a classical current collector and is typically assumed to be electrochemically inert, can be significantly activated during the reaction. As a result, it shows a high NH3 Faradaic efficiency of 87.39% at an industrial-level current density of 300 mA cm-2 for over 90 h of continuous operation, with a NH3 production rate of as high as 1.22 mmol cm-2 h-1. Through experimental and theoretical analysis, the in situ-formed oxygen functional groups are demonstrated to be responsible for the NO3RR performance. Among them, the C-O-C group is finally identified as the active center, which lowers the thermodynamic energy barrier and simultaneously improves the hydrogenation kinetics. Moreover, high-purity NH4Cl and NH3·H2O were obtained by coupling the NO3RR with an air-stripping approach, providing an effective way for converting nitrate waste into high-value-added NH3 products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sai Zhang
- Department of Materials Science and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China
| | - Mengheng Dou
- Key Laboratory of Computational Physical Sciences, Institute of Computational Physical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China
| | - Mengdi Liu
- Department of Materials Science and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China
| | - Jianjian Yi
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, P.R. China
| | - Min Chen
- Department of Materials Science and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. China
| | - Limin Wu
- Department of Materials Science and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P.R. 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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Garg A, Saha A, Dutta S, Pati SK, Eswaramoorthy M, Rao C. High Ammonia Yield Rate from Dilute Nitrate Solutions Using a Cu(100)-Rich Foil: A Step Closer to Large-Scale Production. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:36392-36400. [PMID: 38963227 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c05818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
The electrochemical reduction of nitrate (NO3-) ions to ammonia (NH3) provides an alternative method to eliminate harmful NO3- pollutants in water as well as to produce highly valuable NH3 chemicals. The NH3 yield rate however is still limited to the μmol h-1 cm-2 range when dealing with dilute NO3- concentrations found in waste streams. Copper (Cu) has attracted much attention because of its unique ability to effectively convert NO3- to NH3. We have reported a simple and scalable electrochemical method to produce a Cu foil having its surface covered with a porous Cu nanostructure enriched with (100) facets, which efficiently catalyzes NO3- to NH3. The Cu(100)-rich electrocatalyst showed a very high NH3 production rate of 1.1 mmol h-1 cm-2 in NO3- concentration as low as 14 mM NO3-, which is 4-5 times higher than the best-reported values. Increasing the NO3- concentration (140 mM) resulted in an NH3 production yield rate of 3.34 mmol h-1 cm-2. The durability test conducted for this catalyst foil in a flow cell system showed greater than 100 h stability with a Faradaic efficiency greater than 98%, demonstrating its potential to be used on an industrially relevant scale. Further, density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed to understand the better catalytic activity of Cu(100) compared to Cu(111) facets toward NO3-RR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Garg
- Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, School of Advanced Materials (SAMat), Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Arunava Saha
- Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, School of Advanced Materials (SAMat), Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Supriti Dutta
- Theoretical Sciences Unit, School of Advanced Materials, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Swapan K Pati
- Theoretical Sciences Unit, School of Advanced Materials, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Muthusamy Eswaramoorthy
- Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, School of Advanced Materials (SAMat), Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
- International Centre for Materials Science, JNCASR, Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Cnr Rao
- Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, School of Advanced Materials (SAMat), Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
- International Centre for Materials Science, JNCASR, Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
- New Chemistry Unit, Sheikh Saqr Laboratory, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
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10
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Zhai P, Wang C, Li Y, Jin D, Shang B, Chang Y, Liu W, Gao J, Hou J. Molecular Engineering of Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Framework for Enhanced Nitrate Electroreduction to Ammonia. NANO LETTERS 2024; 24:8687-8695. [PMID: 38973752 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c02030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction is an efficient way to produce ammonia sustainably. Herein, we rationally designed a copper metalloporphyrin-based hydrogen-bonded organic framework (HOF-Cu) through molecular engineering strategies for electrochemical nitrate reduction. As a result, the state-of-the-art HOF-Cu catalyst exhibits high NH3 Faradaic efficiency of 93.8%, and the NH3 production rate achieves a superior activity of 0.65 mmol h-1 cm-2. The in situ electrochemical spectroscopic combined with density functional theory calculations reveals that the dispersed Cu promotes the adsorption of NO3- and the mechanism is followed by deoxidation of NO3- to *NO and accompanied by deep hydrogenation. The generated *H participates in the deep hydrogenation of intermediate with fast kinetics as revealed by operando electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and the competing hydrogen evolution reaction is suppressed. This research provides a promising approach to the conversion of nitrate to ammonia, maintaining the nitrogen balance in the atmosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panlong Zhai
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemical, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
| | - Chen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemical, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
| | - Yaning Li
- The Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Laser, Ion and Electron Beams of Ministry of Education, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
| | - Dingfeng Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemical, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
| | - Bing Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemical, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
| | - Yuan Chang
- The Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Laser, Ion and Electron Beams of Ministry of Education, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
| | - Wei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemical, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
| | - Junfeng Gao
- The Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Laser, Ion and Electron Beams of Ministry of Education, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
| | - Jungang Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemical, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
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11
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Wu D, Chen K, Lv P, Ma Z, Chu K, Ma D. Direct Eight-Electron N 2O Electroreduction to NH 3 Enabled by an Fe Double-Atom Catalyst. NANO LETTERS 2024; 24:8502-8509. [PMID: 38949570 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c00576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
N2O is a dominant atmosphere pollutant, causing ozone depletion and global warming. Currently, electrochemical reduction of N2O has gained increasing attention to remove N2O, but its product is worthless N2. Here, we propose a direct eight-electron (8e) pathway to electrochemically convert N2O into NH3. As a proof of concept, using density functional theory calculation, an Fe2 double-atom catalyst (DAC) anchored by N-doped porous graphene (Fe2@NG) was screened out to be the most active and selective catalyst for N2O electroreduction toward NH3 via the novel 8e pathway, which benefits from the unique bent N2O adsorption configuration. Guided by theoretical prediction, Fe2@NG DAC was fabricated experimentally, and it can achieve a high N2O-to-NH3 Faradaic efficiency of 77.8% with a large NH3 yield rate of 2.9 mg h-1 cm-2 at -0.6 V vs RHE in a neutral electrolyte. Our study offers a feasible strategy to synthesize NH3 from pollutant N2O with simultaneous N2O removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donghai Wu
- Anhui Province Industrial Generic Technology Research Center for Alumics Materials, School of Physics and Electronic Information, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, Anhui 235000, China
- Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
| | - Kai Chen
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, 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
| | - Ziyu Ma
- Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
| | - Ke Chu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Dongwei Ma
- Anhui Province Industrial Generic Technology Research Center for Alumics Materials, School of Physics and Electronic Information, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, Anhui 235000, China
- Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
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12
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Bu Y, Yu W, Yang Q, Zhang W, Sun Q, Wu W, Cui P, Wang C, Gao G. Membraneless Electrochemical Synthesis Strategy toward Nitrate-to-Ammonia Conversion. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:12708-12718. [PMID: 38953681 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c02445] [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: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Electroreduction of nitrate (NO3RR) to ammonia in membraneless electrolyzers is of great significance for reducing the cost and saving energy consumption. However, severe chemical crossover with side reactions makes it challenging to achieve ideal electrolysis. Herein, we propose a general strategy for efficient membraneless ammonia synthesis by screening NO3RR catalysts with inferior oxygen reduction activity and matching the counter electrode (CE) with good oxygen evolution activity while blocking anodic ammonia oxidation. Consequently, screening the available Co-Co system, the membraneless NO3--to-NH3 conversion performance was significantly higher than H-type cells using costly proton-exchange membranes. At 200 mA cm-2, the full-cell voltage of the membraneless system (∼2.5 V) is 4 V lower than that of the membrane system (∼6.5 V), and the savings are 61.4 kW h (or 56.9%) per 1 kg NH3 produced. A well-designed pulse process, inducing reversible surface reconstruction that in situ generates and restores the active Co(III) species at the working electrode and forms favorable Co3O4/CoOOH at the CE, further significantly improves NO3--to-NH3 conversion and blocks side reactions. A maximum NH3 yield rate of 1500.9 μmol cm-2 h-1 was achieved at -0.9 V (Faraday efficiency 92.6%). This pulse-coupled membraneless strategy provides new insights into design complex electrochemical synthesis.
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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
| | - Qiang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Wenkai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Qingyu Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Wensu Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Peixin Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Chao Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225002, 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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13
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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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14
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Wang M, Li S, Gu Y, Xu W, Wang H, Sun J, Chen S, Tie Z, Zuo JL, Ma J, Su J, Jin Z. Polynuclear Cobalt Cluster-Based Coordination Polymers for Efficient Nitrate-to-Ammonia Electroreduction. J Am Chem Soc 2024. [PMID: 38993055 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c06098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
The electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NITRR) holds great promise for purifying wastewater and producing valuable ammonia (NH3). However, the lack of efficient electrocatalysts has impeded the achievement of highly selective NH3 synthesis from the NITRR. In this study, we report the design and synthesis of two polynuclear Co-cluster-based coordination polymers, {[Co2(TCPPDA)(H2O)5]·(H2O)9(DMF)} and {Co1.5(TCPPDA)[(CH3)2NH2]·(H2O)6(DMF)2} (namely, NJUZ-2 and NJUZ-3), which possess distinct coordination motifs with well-defined porosity, high-density catalytic sites, accessible mass transfer channels, and nanoconfined chemical environments. Benefitting from their intriguing multicore metal-organic coordination framework structures, NJUZ-2 and NJUZ-3 exhibit remarkable catalytic activities for the NITRR. At a potential of -0.8 V (vs. RHE) in an H-type cell, they achieve an optimal Faradaic efficiency of approximately 98.5% and high long-term durability for selective NH3 production. Furthermore, the electrocatalytic performance is well maintained even under strongly acidic conditions. When operated under an industrially relevant current density of 469.9 mA cm-2 in a flow cell, a high NH3 yield rate of up to 3370.6 mmol h-1 g-1cat. was observed at -0.5 V (vs. RHE), which is 20.1-fold higher than that obtained in H-type cells under the same conditions. Extensive experimental analyses, in combination with theoretical computations, reveal that the great enhancement of the NITRR activity is attributed to the preferential adsorption of NO3- and the reduction in energy input required for the hydrogenation of *NO3 and *NO2 intermediates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao 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, P. R. China
| | - Shufan Li
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210094, P. R. China
| | - Yuming Gu
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Wenjie Xu
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230029, P. R. 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, P. R. China
| | - Jingjie Sun
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Shuangming Chen
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230029, P. R. China
| | - Zuoxiu Tie
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Jing-Lin Zuo
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Jing Ma
- 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, P. R. China
| | - Jian Su
- 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, P. R. China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210094, P. R. 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, P. R. China
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15
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Ma C, Zhang H, Xia J, Zhu X, Qu K, Feng F, Han S, He C, Ma X, Lin G, Cao W, Meng X, Zhu L, Yu Y, Wang AL, Lu Q. Screening of Intermetallic Compounds Based on Intermediate Adsorption Equilibrium for Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia. J Am Chem Soc 2024. [PMID: 38984787 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c04023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Electrocatalytic nitrate (NO3-) reduction reaction (NO3RR) holds great potential for the conversion of NO3- contaminants into valuable NH3 in a sustainable method. Unfortunately, the nonequilibrium adsorption of intermediates and sluggish multielectron transfer have detrimental impacts on the electrocatalytic performance of the NO3RR, posing obstacles to its practical application. Herein, we initially screen the adsorption energies of three key intermediates, i.e., *NO3, *NO, and *H2O, along with the d-band centers on 21 types of transition metal (IIIV and IB)-Sb/Bi-based intermetallic compounds (IMCs) as electrocatalysts. The results reveal that hexagonal CoSb IMCs possess the optimal adsorption equilibrium for key intermediates and exhibit outstanding electrocatalytic NO3RR performance with a Faradaic efficiency of 96.3%, a NH3 selectivity of 89.1%, and excellent stability, surpassing the majority of recently reported NO3RR electrocatalysts. Moreover, the integration of CoSb IMCs/C into a novel Zn-NO3- battery results in a high power density of 11.88 mW cm-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaoqun Ma
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
- Shunde Innovation School, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Foshan 528399, China
| | - Huaifang Zhang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
- Shunde Innovation School, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Foshan 528399, China
| | - Jing Xia
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Xiaojuan Zhu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
| | - Kaiyu Qu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
| | - Fukai Feng
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
- Shunde Innovation School, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Foshan 528399, China
| | - Sumei Han
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
- Shunde Innovation School, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Foshan 528399, China
| | - Caihong He
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
- Shunde Innovation School, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Foshan 528399, China
| | - Xiao Ma
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
- Shunde Innovation School, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Foshan 528399, China
| | - Gang Lin
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
- Shunde Innovation School, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Foshan 528399, China
| | - Wenbin Cao
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Xiangmin Meng
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Lijie Zhu
- School of Instrument Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, Beijing Information Science and Technology University, Beijing 100192, China
| | - Yifu Yu
- Institute of Molecular Plus, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - An-Liang Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
| | - Qipeng Lu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
- Shunde Innovation School, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Foshan 528399, China
- State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Power Safety Technology and Equipment, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
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16
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Zheng W, Fan D, Yang Y, Chen Q. Theoretical Insights into the Selectivity of Nitrite Reduction to NH 2OH on Single-Atom Catalysts. NANO LETTERS 2024. [PMID: 38985522 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c02127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
Electroreduction of nitrate/nitrite to high-value-added products, including NH2OH, is an important way to achieve sustainable production of green energy. However, this electrosynthesis of NH2OH still suffers from poor selectivity due to the various competing reactions. Here, we screen out Ni-N4 and Cu-N4 catalysts for highly efficient nitrite electroreduction to NH2OH by adopting density functional theory (DFT) calculations. DFT calculations reveal that the high selectivity of Ni-N4 and Cu-N4 is ascribed to their weak adsorption of *NH2OH and *NH intermediates, thereby preventing the further reduction of NH2OH. Moreover, using *NO as a model intermediate, we studied the relationship between the 3d orbital occupancy and adsorption strength of the intermediate. It is found that Ni-N4 and Cu-N4 with fully occupied dxz, dyz, and dz2 orbitals have poor adsorption of *NO intermediate. This work provides a new route for NH2OH synthesis and offers perspectives on the crucial factors in determining the catalytic selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zheng
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Dingge Fan
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Qianwang Chen
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
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17
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Qi R, Zhang L, Ren S, Shi B, Zhong M, Chen ZJ, Lu X. Interface Engineering of the Cu 1.5Mn 1.5O 4/CeO 2 Heterostructure for Highly Efficient Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia. NANO LETTERS 2024. [PMID: 38985521 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c01904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
The electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) is considered a sustainable technology to convert the nitrate pollutants to ammonia. However, developing highly efficient electrocatalysts is necessary and challenging given the slow kinetics of the NO3RR with an eight-electron transfer process. Here, a Cu1.5Mn1.5O4 (CMO)/CeO2 heterostructure with rich interfaces is designed and fabricated through an electrospinning and postprocessing technique. Benefiting from the strong coupling between CMO and CeO2, the optimized CMO/CeO2-2 catalyst presents excellent NO3RR performance, with NH3 Faraday efficiency (FE) up to 93.07 ± 1.45% at -0.481 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and NH3 yield rate up to 48.06 ± 1.32 mg cm-2 h-1 at -0.681 V vs RHE. Theoretical calculations demonstrate that the integration of CeO2 with CMO modulates the adsorption/desorption process of the reactants and intermediates, showing a reduced energy barrier in the rate determination step of NO* to N* and achieving an outstanding NO3RR performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruikai Qi
- Alan G. MacDiarmid Institute, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, P. R. China
| | - Linfeng Zhang
- Alan G. MacDiarmid Institute, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, P. R. China
| | - Siyu Ren
- Alan G. MacDiarmid Institute, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, P. R. China
| | - Bingyan Shi
- Alan G. MacDiarmid Institute, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, P. R. China
| | - Mengxiao Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronics, Key Laboratory of Advanced Gas Sensors, Jilin Province, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, P. R. China
| | - Zheng-Jie Chen
- Materials Science and Energy Engineering/Institute of Technology for Carbon Neutrality, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, P. R. China
| | - Xiaofeng Lu
- Alan G. MacDiarmid Institute, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, P. R. China
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18
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Li M, Wen Y, Fang Y, Shan B. Molecular Wiring of Electrocatalytic Nitrate reduction to Ammonia and Water Oxidation by Iron-Coordinated Macroporous Conductive Networks. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202405746. [PMID: 38666518 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202405746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Developing stable electrocatalysts with accessible isolated sites is desirable but highly challenging due to metal agglomeration and low surface stability of host materials. Here we report a general approach for synthesis of single-site Fe electrocatalysts by integrating a solvated Fe complex in conductive macroporous organic networks through redox-active coordination linkages. Electrochemical activation of the electrode exposes high-density coordinately unsaturated Fe sites for efficient adsorption and conversion of reaction substrates such as NO3 - and H2O. Using the electrode with isolated active Fe sites, electrocatalytic NO3 - reduction and H2O oxidation can be coupled in a single cell to produce NH3 and O2 at Faradaic efficiencies of 97 % and 100 %, respectively. The electrode exhibits excellent robustness in electrocatalysis for 200 hours with small decrease in catalytic efficiencies. Both the maximized Fe-site efficiency and the microscopic localization effect of the conductive organic matrix contribute to the high catalytic performances, which provides new understandings in tuning the efficiencies of metal catalysts for high-performance electrocatalytic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengjie Li
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yingke Wen
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yanjie Fang
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Bing Shan
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- Key Laboratory of Excited-State Materials of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310058, China
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19
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Dou F, Guo F, Li B, Zhang K, Graham N, Yu W. Pulsed electro-catalysis enables effective conversion of low-concentration nitrate to ammonia over Cu 2O@Pd tandem catalyst. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 472:134522. [PMID: 38714057 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
Electro-catalytic conversion of nitrate (NO3-) to ammonia (NH3) via the Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia (NORA) process represents a promising strategy for both ammonia synthesis and environmental remediation. Despite its potential, the efficiency of low-concentration NORA is often hindered by mass transfer limitations, competing byproducts (N2 and NO2-), and side reactions such as hydrogen evolution. This study introduces a novel pulsed electro-synthesis technique that alternates the potential to periodically accumulate and transform NO2- intermediates near a Cu2O@Pd electrode, enhancing the NORA process. Compared with that under potentiostatic conditions, the Cu2O@Pd electrodes exhibited a higher NORA activity under the optimized pulsed condition, where a NH3-N Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 81.2%, a yield rate of 1.08 mg h-1 cm-2 and a selectivity efficiency (SE) of 81.5%, were achieved. In-situ characterization revealed an enhancement mechanism characterized by optimized adsorption of the key *NO intermediate, followed by the hydrogenation path "*N → *NH → *NH2→ *NH3". Further investigations indicated the electro-catalytic synergies between Pd sites and Cu species, where the Pd atoms were the reaction sites for the H adsorption while the Cu species were responsible for the NO3- activation. This research offers a novel insight into a method of enhancing low-concentration NORA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Dou
- School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Fengchen Guo
- School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Bo Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Kai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
| | - Nigel Graham
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW72AZ, UK
| | - Wenzheng Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
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20
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Zhang Q, Zeng X, Zhang Z, Jin C, Cui Y, Gao Y. Electronic transfer and structural reconstruction in porous NF/FeNiP-CoP@NC heterostructure for robust overall water splitting in alkaline electrolytes. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 675:357-368. [PMID: 38972123 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.07.019] [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: 03/26/2024] [Revised: 07/02/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
Multimetal phosphides derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have garnered significant interest owing to their distinct electronic configurations and abundant active sites. However, developing robust and efficient catalysts based on metal phosphides for overall water splitting (OWS) remains challenging. Herein, we present an approach for synthesizing a self-supporting hollow porous cubic FeNiP-CoP@NC catalyst on a nickel foam (NF) substrate. Through ion exchange, the reconstruction chemistry transforms the FeNi-MOF nanospheres into intricate hollow porous FeNi-MOF-Co nanocubes. After phosphorization, numerous N, P co-doped carbon-coated FeNiP-CoP nanoparticles were tightly embedded within a two-dimensional (2D) carbon matrix. The NF/FeNiP-CoP@NC heterostructure retained a porous configuration, numerous heterogeneous interfaces, distinct defects, and a rich composition of active sites. Moreover, incorporating Co and the resulting structural evolution facilitated the electron transfer in FeNiP-CoP@NC, enhancing the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) processes. Consequently, the NF/FeNiP-CoP@NC catalyst demonstrated very low overpotentials of 78 mV for OER and 254 mV for HER in an alkaline medium. It also exhibited excellent long-term stability at various potentials (@10 mA cm-2, @20 mA cm-2, and @50 mA cm-2). As an overall water splitting cell, it required only 1.478 V to drive a current density of 50 mA cm-2 and demonstrated long-term stability. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed a synergistic effect between multimetal phosphides, enhancing the intrinsic OER and HER activities of FeNiP-CoP@NC. This work not only elucidates the role of heteroatom induction in structural reconstruction but also highlights the importance of electronic structure modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Zhang
- National Engineering Research Center for Domestic & Building Ceramics, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jingdezhen Ceramic University, Jingdezhen 333403, China
| | - Xiaojun Zeng
- National Engineering Research Center for Domestic & Building Ceramics, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jingdezhen Ceramic University, Jingdezhen 333403, China.
| | - Zuliang Zhang
- National Engineering Research Center for Domestic & Building Ceramics, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jingdezhen Ceramic University, Jingdezhen 333403, China
| | - Chulong Jin
- National Engineering Research Center for Domestic & Building Ceramics, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jingdezhen Ceramic University, Jingdezhen 333403, China
| | - Yuanyuan Cui
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Yanfeng Gao
- National Engineering Research Center for Domestic & Building Ceramics, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jingdezhen Ceramic University, Jingdezhen 333403, China; School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
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21
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Gnanasekar P, Peramaiah K, Zhang H, Alsayoud IG, Subbiah AS, Babics M, Ng TK, Gan Q, De Wolf S, Huang KW, Ooi BS. Solar-Powered Gram-Scale Ammonia Production from Nitrate. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024:e2404249. [PMID: 38953366 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202404249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2024] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
The photoelectrochemical (PEC) method has the potential to be an attractive route for converting and storing solar energy as chemical bonds. In this study, a maximum NH3 production yield of 1.01 g L-1 with a solar-to-ammonia conversion efficiency of 8.17% through the photovoltaic electrocatalytic (PV-EC) nitrate (NO3 -) reduction reaction (NO3 -RR) is achieved, using silicon heterojunction solar cell technology. Additionally, the effect of tuning the operation potential of the PV-EC system and its influence on product selectivity are systematically investigated. By using this unique external resistance tuning approach in the PV-EC system, ammonia production through nitrate reduction performance from 96 to 360 mg L-1 is enhanced, a four-fold increase. Furthermore, the NH3 is extracted as NH4Cl powder using acid stripping, which is essential for storing chemical energy. This work demonstrates the possibility of tuning product selectivity in PV-EC systems, with prospects toward pilot scale on value-added product synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulraj Gnanasekar
- Photonics Laboratory, Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Karthik Peramaiah
- KAUST Catalysis Center, Division of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Huafan Zhang
- Photonics Laboratory, Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ibrahim G Alsayoud
- Photonics Laboratory, Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Anand S Subbiah
- KAUST Photovoltaics Laboratory, KAUST Solar Center, Department of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Maxime Babics
- KAUST Photovoltaics Laboratory, KAUST Solar Center, Department of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Tien Khee Ng
- Photonics Laboratory, Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Qiaoqiang Gan
- Department of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Stefaan De Wolf
- KAUST Photovoltaics Laboratory, KAUST Solar Center, Department of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Kuo-Wei Huang
- KAUST Catalysis Center, Division of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Boon S Ooi
- Photonics Laboratory, Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
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22
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Felisardo RJA, Brillas E, Boyer TH, Cavalcanti EB, Garcia-Segura S. Electrochemical degradation of acetaminophen in urine matrices: Unraveling complexity and implications for realistic treatment strategies. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 261:122034. [PMID: 38996729 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
Urine has an intricate composition with high concentrations of organic compounds like urea, creatinine, and uric acid. Urine poses a formidable challenge for advanced effluent treatment processes following urine diversion strategies. Urine matrix complexity is heightened when dealing with pharmaceutical residues like acetaminophen (ACT) and metabolized pharmaceuticals. This work explores ACT degradation in synthetic, fresh real, and hydrolyzed real urines using electrochemical oxidation with a dimensional stable anode (DSA). Analyzing drug concentration (2.5 - 40 mg L-1) over 180 min at various current densities in fresh synthetic effluent revealed a noteworthy 75% removal at 48 mA cm-2. ACT degradation kinetics and that of the other organic components followed a pseudo-first-order reaction. Uric acid degradation competed with ACT degradation, whereas urea and creatinine possessed higher oxidation resistance. Fresh real urine presented the most challenging scenario for the electrochemical process. Whereas, hydrolyzed real urine achieved higher ACT removal than fresh synthetic urine. Carboxylic acids like acetic, tartaric, maleic, and oxalic were detected as main by-products. Inorganic ionic species nitrate, nitrite, and ammonium ions were released to the medium from N-containing organic compounds. These findings underscore the importance of considering urine composition complexities and provide significant advancements in strategies for efficiently addressing trace pharmaceutical contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raul José Alves Felisardo
- Graduate Program in Process Engineering, Tiradentes University, 300 Murilo Dantas Avenue, Aracaju 49032-490, SE, Brazil; Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment. School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe 85287, AZ, United States
| | - Enric Brillas
- Departament de Ciència de Materials i Química Física, Facultat de Química, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1-11, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Treavor H Boyer
- Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment. School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe 85287, AZ, United States
| | - Eliane Bezerra Cavalcanti
- Graduate Program in Process Engineering, Tiradentes University, 300 Murilo Dantas Avenue, Aracaju 49032-490, SE, Brazil; Institute of Technology and Research. 300 Murilo Dantas Avenue, Aracaju 49032-490, SE, Brazil
| | - Sergi Garcia-Segura
- Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment. School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe 85287, AZ, United States.
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23
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Wei J, Li Y, Lin H, Lu X, Zhou C, Li YY. Copper-based electro-catalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia from water: Mechanism, preparation, and research directions. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ECOTECHNOLOGY 2024; 20:100383. [PMID: 38304117 PMCID: PMC10830547 DOI: 10.1016/j.ese.2023.100383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Global water bodies are increasingly imperiled by nitrate pollution, primarily originating from industrial waste, agricultural runoffs, and urban sewage. This escalating environmental crisis challenges traditional water treatment paradigms and necessitates innovative solutions. Electro-catalysis, especially utilizing copper-based catalysts, known for their efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and eco-friendliness, offer a promising avenue for the electro-catalytic reduction of nitrate to ammonia. In this review, we systematically consolidate current research on diverse copper-based catalysts, including pure Cu, Cu alloys, oxides, single-atom entities, and composites. Furthermore, we assess their catalytic performance, operational mechanisms, and future research directions to find effective, long-term solutions to water purification and ammonia synthesis. Electro-catalysis technology shows the potential in mitigating nitrate pollution and has strategic importance in sustainable environmental management. As to the application, challenges regarding complexity of the real water, the scale-up of the commerical catalysts, and the efficient collection of produced NH3 are still exist. Following reseraches of catalyst specially on long term stability and in situ mechanisms are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Chucheng Zhou
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials & Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Advance Technology of Ceramics, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, PR China
| | - Ya-yun Li
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials & Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Advance Technology of Ceramics, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, PR China
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24
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Murphy E, Sun B, Rüscher M, Liu Y, Zang W, Guo S, Chen YH, Hejral U, Huang Y, Ly A, Zenyuk IV, Pan X, Timoshenko J, Cuenya BR, Spoerke ED, Atanassov P. Synergizing Fe 2O 3 Nanoparticles on Single Atom Fe-N-C for Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia at Industrial Current Densities. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2401133. [PMID: 38619914 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202401133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
The electrochemical reduction of nitrates (NO3 -) enables a pathway for the carbon neutral synthesis of ammonia (NH3), via the nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR), which has been demonstrated at high selectivity. However, to make NH3 synthesis cost-competitive with current technologies, high NH3 partial current densities (jNH3) must be achieved to reduce the levelized cost of NH3. Here, the high NO3RR activity of Fe-based materials is leveraged to synthesize a novel active particle-active support system with Fe2O3 nanoparticles supported on atomically dispersed Fe-N-C. The optimized 3×Fe2O3/Fe-N-C catalyst demonstrates an ultrahigh NO3RR activity, reaching a maximum jNH3 of 1.95 A cm-2 at a Faradaic efficiency (FE) for NH3 of 100% and an NH3 yield rate over 9 mmol hr-1 cm-2. Operando XANES and post-mortem XPS reveal the importance of a pre-reduction activation step, reducing the surface Fe2O3 (Fe3+) to highly active Fe0 sites, which are maintained during electrolysis. Durability studies demonstrate the robustness of both the Fe2O3 particles and Fe-Nx sites at highly cathodic potentials, maintaining a current of -1.3 A cm-2 over 24 hours. This work exhibits an effective and durable active particle-active support system enhancing the performance of the NO3RR, enabling industrially relevant current densities and near 100% selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eamonn Murphy
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National Fuel Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Baiyu Sun
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National Fuel Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Martina Rüscher
- Department of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Yuanchao Liu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National Fuel Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Wenjie Zang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Shengyuan Guo
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National Fuel Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Yu-Han Chen
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National Fuel Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Uta Hejral
- Department of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ying Huang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Alvin Ly
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Iryna V Zenyuk
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National Fuel Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Xiaoqing Pan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Janis Timoshenko
- Department of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Beatriz Roldán Cuenya
- Department of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Erik D Spoerke
- Sandia National Laboratories, Energy Storage Technologies & Systems, Albuquerque, NM, 87185, USA
| | - Plamen Atanassov
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National Fuel Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
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25
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Chen Z, Ma T, Wei W, Wong WY, Zhao C, Ni BJ. Work Function-Guided Electrocatalyst Design. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2401568. [PMID: 38682861 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202401568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
The development of high-performance electrocatalysts for energy conversion reactions is crucial for advancing global energy sustainability. The design of catalysts based on their electronic properties (e.g., work function) has gained significant attention recently. Although numerous reviews on electrocatalysis have been provided, no such reports on work function-guided electrocatalyst design are available. Herein, a comprehensive summary of the latest advancements in work function-guided electrocatalyst design for diverse electrochemical energy applications is provided. This includes the development of work function-based catalytic activity descriptors, and the design of both monolithic and heterostructural catalysts. The measurement of work function is first discussed and the applications of work function-based catalytic activity descriptors for various reactions are fully analyzed. Subsequently, the work function-regulated material-electrolyte interfacial electron transfer (IET) is employed for monolithic catalyst design, and methods for regulating the work function and optimizing the catalytic performance of catalysts are discussed. In addition, key strategies for tuning the work function-governed material-material IET in heterostructural catalyst design are examined. Finally, perspectives on work function determination, work function-based activity descriptors, and catalyst design are put forward to guide future research. This work paves the way to the work function-guided rational design of efficient electrocatalysts for sustainable energy applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhijie Chen
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Tianyi Ma
- School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Wei Wei
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Wai-Yeung Wong
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology and Research Institute for Smart Energy, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Chuan Zhao
- School of Chemistry, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Bing-Jie Ni
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
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26
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Jiang Y, Liu S, Cheng Q, He Y, Huan Y, Liu J, Zhou X, Wang M, Yan C, Qian T. Built-In Positive Valence Space Shifting the Chemical Equilibrium Forward for Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia. Inorg Chem 2024; 63:12146-12155. [PMID: 38946339 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.4c01264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
The electrochemical conversion of nitrate pollutants into value-added ammonia (NH3) is an appealing alternative synthetic route for sustainable NH3 production. However, the development of the electrocatalytic nitrate-to-ammonia reduction reaction (NO3RR) has been hampered by unruly reactants and products at the interface and the accompanied sluggish kinetic rate. In this work, a built-in positive valence space is successfully constructed over FeCu nanocrystals to rationally regulate interfacial component concentrations and positively shift the chemical equilibrium. With positive valence Cu optimizing the active surface, the space between the stern and shear layers becomes positive, which is able to continuously attract the negatively charged NO3- reactant and repulse the positively charged NH4+ product even under high current density, thus significantly boosting the NO3RR kinetics. The system with a built-in positive valence space affords an ampere-level NO3RR performance with the highest NH3 yield rate of 150.27 mg h-1 mg-1 at -1.3 V versus RHE with an outstanding NH3 current density of 189.53 mA cm-2, as well as a superior Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 97.26% at -1.2 V versus RHE. The strategy proposed here underscores the importance of interfacial concentration regulation and can find wider applicability in other electrochemical syntheses suffering from sluggish kinetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuzhuo Jiang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
| | - Sisi Liu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
| | - Qiyang Cheng
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Yanzheng He
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Yunfei Huan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
| | - Jie Liu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
| | - Xi Zhou
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
| | - Mengfan Wang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Chenglin Yan
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
- School of Petrochemical Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China
| | - Tao Qian
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
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27
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Luo H, Shu G, Guo S, Kuang X, Zhao C, Zhou CA, Wang C, Song L, Ma K, Yue H. Piezo-photocatalytic reduction of nitrates to N 2 over silver dispersed on BaTiO 3@TiO 2. Chem Commun (Camb) 2024; 60:6627-6630. [PMID: 38853580 DOI: 10.1039/d4cc01358a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
This communication first achieved piezo-photocatalytic reduction of nitrates to N2 through designing an Ag2O/BaTiO3@TiO2 core-shell catalyst. The built-in electric field induced by piezoelectric polarization suppresses photoexcited carrier recombination, and simultaneously causes energy band tilting, leading to the generation of electrons with higher reducibility to directly trigger the NO3- reduction to ˙NO32-, even without hole scavengers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongjie Luo
- Low-Carbon Technology and Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
| | - Guoqiang Shu
- Low-Carbon Technology and Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
- Daqing Oilfield Production Technology Institute, Daqing 163453, China
| | - Shanhong Guo
- Low-Carbon Technology and Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
| | - Xia Kuang
- Low-Carbon Technology and Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
| | - Changming Zhao
- Daqing Oilfield Production Technology Institute, Daqing 163453, China
| | - Chang-An Zhou
- Low-Carbon Technology and Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
| | - Chao Wang
- Low-Carbon Technology and Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
| | - Lei Song
- Low-Carbon Technology and Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
| | - Kui Ma
- Low-Carbon Technology and Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
| | - Hairong Yue
- Low-Carbon Technology and Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
- Institute of New Energy and Low-Carbon Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610207, China
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28
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Zhang W, Zhou Y, Zhu Y, Guo Y, Zhang B, Zhang LH, Li F, Yu F. Boosting Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction at Low Concentrations Through Simultaneous Electronic States Regulation and Proton Provision. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024:e2404792. [PMID: 38923291 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202404792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2024] [Revised: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Electrochemically converting nitrate (NO3 -) into ammonia (NH3) has emerged as an alternative strategy for NH3 production and effluent treatment. Nevertheless, the electroreduction of dilute NO3 - is still challenging due to the competitive adsorption between various aqueous species and NO3 -, and unfavorable water dissociation providing *H. Herein, a new tandem strategy is proposed to boost the electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) performance of Cu nanoparticles supported on single Fe atoms dispersed N-doped carbon (Cu@Fe1-NC) at dilute NO3 - concentrations (≤100 ppm NO3 --N). The optimized Cu@Fe1-NC presents a FENH3 of 97.7% at -0.4 V versus RHE, and a significant NH3 yield of 1953.9 mmol h-1 gCu -1 at 100 ppm NO3 --N, a record-high activity for dilute NO3RR. The metal/carbon heterojunctions in Cu@Fe1-NC enable a spontaneous electron transfer from Cu to carbon substrate, resulting in electron-deficient Cu. As a result, the electron-deficient Cu facilitates the adsorption of NO3 - compared with the pristine Cu. The adjacent atomic Fe sites efficiently promote water dissociation, providing abundant *H for the hydrogenation of *NOx e at Cu sites. The synergistic effects between Cu and single Fe atom sites simultaneously decrease the energy barrier for NO3 - adsorption and hydrogenation, thereby enhancing the overall activity of NO3 - reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenlin Zhang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Energy Conservation in Chemical Process Integration and Resources Utilization, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, P. R. China
| | - Yuzhuo Zhou
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Energy Conservation in Chemical Process Integration and Resources Utilization, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, P. R. China
| | - Yong Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, P. R. China
| | - Yabo Guo
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Energy Conservation in Chemical Process Integration and Resources Utilization, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, P. R. China
| | - Bo Zhang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Energy Conservation in Chemical Process Integration and Resources Utilization, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, P. R. China
| | - Lu-Hua Zhang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Energy Conservation in Chemical Process Integration and Resources Utilization, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, P. R. China
| | - Fei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, P. R. China
| | - Fengshou Yu
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Energy Conservation in Chemical Process Integration and Resources Utilization, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, P. R. China
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29
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Wang Y, Xiong Y, Sun M, Zhou J, Hao F, Zhang Q, Ye C, Wang X, Xu Z, Wa Q, Liu F, Meng X, Wang J, Lu P, Ma Y, Yin J, Zhu Y, Chu S, Huang B, Gu L, Fan Z. Controlled Synthesis of Unconventional Phase Alloy Nanobranches for Highly Selective Electrocatalytic Nitrite Reduction to Ammonia. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202402841. [PMID: 38647519 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202402841] [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: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
The controlled synthesis of metal nanomaterials with unconventional phases is of significant importance to develop high-performance catalysts for various applications. However, it remains challenging to modulate the atomic arrangements of metal nanomaterials, especially the alloy nanostructures that involve different metals with distinct redox potentials. Here we report the general one-pot synthesis of IrNi, IrRhNi and IrFeNi alloy nanobranches with unconventional hexagonal close-packed (hcp) phase. Notably, the as-synthesized hcp IrNi nanobranches demonstrate excellent catalytic performance towards electrochemical nitrite reduction reaction (NO2RR), with superior NH3 Faradaic efficiency and yield rate of 98.2 % and 34.6 mg h-1 mgcat -1 (75.5 mg h-1 mgIr -1) at 0 and -0.1 V (vs reversible hydrogen electrode), respectively. Ex/in situ characterizations and theoretical calculations reveal that the Ir-Ni interactions within hcp IrNi alloy improve electron transfer to benefit both nitrite activation and active hydrogen generation, leading to a stronger reaction trend of NO2RR by greatly reducing energy barriers of rate-determining step.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunhao Wang
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Yuecheng Xiong
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center (NPMM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Mingzi Sun
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Jingwen Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center (NPMM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Fengkun Hao
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Qinghua Zhang
- Institute of Physics, Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Chenliang Ye
- Department of Power Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Baoding, 071003, China
| | - Xixi Wang
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Zhihang Xu
- Department of Applied Physics, Research Institute for Smart Energy, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Qingbo Wa
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Fu Liu
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Xiang Meng
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Juan Wang
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Pengyi Lu
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center (NPMM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Yangbo Ma
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Jinwen Yin
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Ye Zhu
- Department of Applied Physics, Research Institute for Smart Energy, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Shengqi Chu
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Bolong Huang
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Lin Gu
- Beijing National Center for Electron Microscopy and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Zhanxi Fan
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center (NPMM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, 518057, China
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30
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He M, Li R, Cheng C, Liu C, Zhang B. Microenvironment regulation breaks the Faradaic efficiency-current density trade-off for electrocatalytic deuteration using D 2O. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5231. [PMID: 38898044 PMCID: PMC11187139 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49544-y] [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: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The high Faradaic efficiency (FE) of the electrocatalytic deuteration of organics with D2O at a large current density is significant for deuterated electrosynthesis. However, the FE and current density are the two ends of a seesaw because of the severe D2 evolution side reaction at nearly industrial current densities. Herein, we report a combined scenario of a nanotip-enhanced electric field and surfactant-modified interface microenvironment to enable the electrocatalytic deuteration of arylacetonitrile in D2O with an 80% FE at -100 mA cm-2. The increased concentration with low activation energy of arylacetonitrile due to the large electric field along the tips and the accelerated arylacetonitrile transfer and suppressed D2 evolution by the surfactant-created deuterophobic microenvironment contribute to breaking the trade-off between a high FE and large current density. Furthermore, the application of our strategy in other deuteration reactions with improved Faradaic efficiencies at -100 mA cm-2 rationalizes the design concept.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng He
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Rui Li
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Chuanqi Cheng
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Cuibo Liu
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
- Institute of Molecular Plus, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
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31
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Xiong Y, Wang Y, Tsang CC, Zhou J, Hao F, Liu F, Wang J, Xi S, Zhao J, Fan Z. Metal Doped Unconventional Phase IrNi Nanobranches: Tunable Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction Performance and Pollutants Upcycling. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:10863-10873. [PMID: 38842426 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c04014] [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: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Electrochemical nitrate reduction (NO3RR) provides a new option to abate nitrate contamination with a low carbon footprint. Restricted by competitive hydrogen evolution, achieving satisfied nitrate reduction performance in neutral media is still a challenge, especially for the regulation of this multielectron multiproton reaction. Herein, facile element doping is adopted to tune the catalytic behavior of IrNi alloy nanobranches with an unconventional hexagonal close-packed (hcp) phase toward NO3RR. In particular, the obtained hcp IrNiCu nanobranches favor the ammonia production and suppress byproduct formation in a neutral electrolyte indicated by in situ differential electrochemical mass spectrometry, with a high Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 85.6% and a large yield rate of 1253 μg cm-2 h-1 at -0.4 and -0.6 V (vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)), respectively. In contrast, the resultant hcp IrNiCo nanobranches promote the formation of nitrite, with a peak FE of 33.1% at -0.1 V (vs RHE). Furthermore, a hybrid electrolysis cell consisting of NO3RR and formaldehyde oxidation is constructed, which are both catalyzed by hcp IrNiCu nanobranches. This electrolyzer exhibits lower overpotential and holds the potential to treat polluted air and wastewater simultaneously, shedding light on green chemical production based on contaminate degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuecheng Xiong
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center (NPMM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Yunhao Wang
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Chi Ching Tsang
- Department of Applied Physics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Jingwen Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center (NPMM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Fengkun Hao
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Fu Liu
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Juan Wang
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Shibo Xi
- Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment, A*STAR, Singapore 627833, Singapore
| | - Jiong Zhao
- Department of Applied Physics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Zhanxi Fan
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center (NPMM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
- Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy (HKICE), City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
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32
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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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33
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Chen K, Ma D, Zhang Y, Wang F, Yang X, Wang X, Zhang H, Liu X, Bao R, Chu K. Urea Electrosynthesis from Nitrate and CO 2 on Diatomic Alloys. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024:e2402160. [PMID: 38876146 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202402160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 05/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
Urea electrosynthesis from co-electrolysis of NO3 - and CO2 (UENC) offers a promising technology for achieving sustainable and efficient urea production. Herein, a diatomic alloy catalyst (CuPd1Rh1-DAA), with mutually isolated Pd and Rh atoms alloyed on Cu substrate, is theoretically designed and experimentally confirmed to be a highly active and selective UENC catalyst. Combining theoretical computations and operando spectroscopic characterizations reveals the synergistic effect of Pd1-Cu and Rh1-Cu active sites to promote the UENC via a tandem catalysis mechanism, where Pd1-Cu site triggers the early C-N coupling and promotes *CO2NO2-to-*CO2NH steps, while Rh1-Cu site facilitates the subsequent protonation step of *CO2NH2 to *COOHNH2 toward the urea formation. Impressively, CuPd1Rh1-DAA assembled in a flow cell presents the highest urea Faradaic efficiency of 72.1% and urea yield rate of 53.2 mmol h-1 gcat -1 at -0.5 V versus RHE, representing nearly the highest performance among all reported UENC catalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Chen
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
| | - Danyang Ma
- Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
| | - Fuzhou Wang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
| | - Xing Yang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
| | - Xiaomei Wang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
| | - Hu Zhang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xijun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Featured Metal Materials and Life-cycle Safety for Composite Structures, School of Resource, Environment and Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Rui Bao
- Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, China
| | - Ke Chu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
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34
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Ba J, Dong H, Odziomek M, Lai F, Wang R, Han Y, Shu J, Antonietti M, Liu T, Yang W, Tian Z. Red Carbon Mediated Formation of Cu 2O Clusters Dispersed on the Oxocarbon Framework by Fehling's Route and their Use for the Nitrate Electroreduction in Acidic Conditions. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2400396. [PMID: 38528795 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202400396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
The oligomers of carbon suboxide, known as red carbon, exhibit a highly conjugated structure and semiconducting properties. Upon mild heat treatment, it transforms into a carbonaceous framework rich in oxygen surface terminations, called oxocarbon. In this study, the abundant oxygen functionalities are harnessed as anchors to create oxocarbon-supported nanohybrid electrocatalysts. Starting with single atomic Cu (II) strongly coordinated to oxygen atoms on red carbon, the Fehling reaction leads to the formation of Cu2O clusters. Simultaneously, a covalent oxocarbon framework emerges via cross-linking, providing robust support for Cu2O clusters. Notably, the oxocarbon support effectively stabilizes Cu2O clusters of very small size, ensuring their high durability in acidic conditions and the presence of ammonia. The synthesized material exhibits a superior electrocatalytic activity for nitrate reduction under acidic electrolyte conditions, with a high yield rate of ammonium (NH4 +) at 3.31 mmol h-1 mgcat -1 and a Faradaic efficiency of 92.5% at a potential of -0.4 V (vs RHE).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingwen Ba
- Engineering Research Center for Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, P. R. China
| | - Hongliang Dong
- Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai, 201203, P. R. China
| | - Mateusz Odziomek
- Department of Colloid Chemistry, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Feili Lai
- Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, Leuven, 3001, Belgium
| | - Rui Wang
- Engineering Research Center for Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, P. R. China
| | - Yandong Han
- Engineering Research Center for Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, P. R. China
| | - Jinfu Shu
- Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai, 201203, P. R. China
| | - Markus Antonietti
- Department of Colloid Chemistry, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Tianxi Liu
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, P. R. China
| | - Wensheng Yang
- Engineering Research Center for Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, P. R. China
| | - Zhihong Tian
- Engineering Research Center for Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, P. R. China
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35
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Meng SL, Li JH, Ye C, Yin YL, Zhang XL, Zhang C, Li XB, Tung CH, Wu LZ. Concurrent Ammonia Synthesis and Alcohol Oxidation Boosted by Glutathione-Capped Quantum Dots under Visible Light. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2311982. [PMID: 38499978 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202311982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Mother nature accomplishes efficient ammonia synthesis via cascade N2 oxidation by lightning strikes followed with enzyme-catalyzed nitrogen oxyanion (NOx -, x = 2,3) reduction. The protein environment of enzymatic centers for NOx --to-NH4 + process greatly inspires the design of glutathione-capped (GSH) quantum dots (QDs) for ammonia synthesis under visible light (440 nm) in tandem with plasma-enabled N2 oxidation. Mechanistic studies reveal that GSH induces positive shift of surface charge to strengthen the interaction between NOx - and QDs. Upon visible light irradiation of QDs, the balanced and rapid hole and electron transfer furnish GS·radicals for 2e-/2H+ alcohol oxidation and H·for 8e-/10H+ NO3 --to-NH4 + reduction simultaneously. For the first time, mmol-scale ammonia synthesis is realized with apparent quantum yields of 5.45% ± 0.64%, and gram-scale synthesis of value-added acetophenone and NH4Cl proceeds with 1:4 stoichiometry and stability, demonstrating promising multielectron and multiproton ammonia synthesis efficiency and sustainability with nature-inspired artificial photocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Lin Meng
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Jia-Hao Li
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Chen Ye
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Yu-Lin Yin
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Xin-Ling Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Chen Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Xu-Bing Li
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Chen-Ho Tung
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Li-Zhu Wu
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
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36
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Hu Y, Liu J, Luo W, Dong J, Lee C, Zhang N, Chen M, Xu Y, Wu D, Zhang M, Zhu Q, Hu E, Geng D, Zhong L, Yan Q. Alloying Pd with Ru enables electroreduction of nitrate to ammonia with ∼100% faradaic efficiency over a wide potential window. Chem Sci 2024; 15:8204-8215. [PMID: 38817556 PMCID: PMC11134412 DOI: 10.1039/d4sc00558a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Electrocatalytic nitrate (NO3-) reduction reaction (eNO3-RR) to ammonia under ambient conditions is deemed a sustainable route for wastewater treatment and a promising alternative to the Haber-Bosch process. However, there is still a lack of efficient electrocatalysts to achieve high NH3 production performance at wastewater-relevant low NO3- concentrations. Herein, we report a Pd74Ru26 bimetallic nanocrystal (NC) electrocatalyst capable of exhibiting an average NH3 FE of ∼100% over a wide potential window from 0.1 to -0.3 V (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, RHE) at a low NO3- concentration of 32.3 mM. The average NH3 yield rate at -0.3 V can reach 16.20 mg h-1 cm-2. Meanwhile, Pd74Ru26 also demonstrates excellent electrocatalytic stability for over 110 h. Experimental investigations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that the electronic structure modulation between Pd and Ru favors the optimization of NO3- transport with respect to single components. Along the *NO3 reduction pathway, the synergy between Pd and Ru can also lower the energy barrier of the rate-determining steps (RDSs) on Ru and Pd, which are the protonation of *NO2 and *NO, respectively. Finally, this unique alloying design achieves a high-level dynamic equilibrium of adsorption and coupling between *H and various nitrogen intermediates during eNO3-RR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Hu
- School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing Beijing 100083 China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University 639798 Singapore
| | - Jiawei Liu
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR 138634 Singapore
| | - Wenyu Luo
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University 639798 Singapore
| | - Jinfeng Dong
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University 639798 Singapore
| | - Carmen Lee
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University 639798 Singapore
| | - Nan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Frontiers Science Center for Rare Isotopes, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University Lanzhou 730000 China
| | - Mengxin Chen
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University 639798 Singapore
| | - Yifan Xu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University 639798 Singapore
| | - Dongshuang Wu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University 639798 Singapore
| | - Mingsheng Zhang
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR 138634 Singapore
| | - Qiang Zhu
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR 138634 Singapore
| | - Erhai Hu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University 639798 Singapore
| | - Dongsheng Geng
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology Nanjing 210044 China
| | - Lixiang Zhong
- School of Physics, Beijing Institute of Technology Beijing 100081 China
| | - Qingyu Yan
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University 639798 Singapore
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR 138634 Singapore
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37
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Wen W, Fang S, Zhou Y, Zhao Y, Li P, Yu XY. Modulating the Electrolyte Microenvironment in Electrical Double Layer for Boosting Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024:e202408382. [PMID: 38806407 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202408382] [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: 05/02/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
Electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) is a promising approach to achieve remediation of nitrate-polluted wastewater and sustainable production of ammonia. However, it is still restricted by the low activity, selectivity and Faraday efficiency for ammonia synthesis. Herein, we propose an effective strategy to modulate the electrolyte microenvironment in electrical double layer (EDL) by mediating alkali metal cations in the electrolyte to enhance the NO3RR performance. Taking bulk Cu as a model catalyst, the experimental study reveals that the NO3 --to-NH3 performance in different electrolytes follows the trend Li+
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Affiliation(s)
- Weidong Wen
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, P. R. China
| | - Shidong Fang
- Institute of Energy, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Centre (Anhui Energy Laboratory), Hefei, 230051, P. R. China
- Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Hefei, 230031, P. R. China
| | - Yitong Zhou
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, P. R. China
| | - Ying Zhao
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui Xinhua University, Hefei, 230088, P. R. China
| | - Peng Li
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, P. R. China
| | - Xin-Yao Yu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, P. R. China
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38
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Shiraishi Y, Akiyama S, Hiramatsu W, Adachi K, Ichikawa S, Hirai T. Sunlight-Driven Nitrate-to-Ammonia Reduction with Water by Iron Oxyhydroxide Photocatalysts. JACS AU 2024; 4:1863-1874. [PMID: 38818053 PMCID: PMC11134386 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.4c00054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
The photocatalytic reduction of harmful nitrates (NO3-) in strongly acidic wastewater to ammonia (NH3) under sunlight is crucial for the recycling of limited nitrogen resources. This study reports that a naturally occurring Cl--containing iron oxyhydroxide (akaganeite) powder with surface oxygen vacancies (β-FeOOH(Cl)-OVs) facilitates this transformation. Ultraviolet light irradiation of the catalyst suspended in a Cl--containing solution promoted quantitative NO3--to-NH3 reduction with water under ambient conditions. The photogenerated conduction band electrons promoted the reduction of NO3--to-NH3 over the OVs. The valence band holes promoted self-oxidation of Cl- as the direct electron donor and eliminated Cl- was compensated from the solution. Photodecomposition of the generated hypochlorous acid (HClO) produced O2, facilitating catalytic reduction of NO3--to-NH3 with water as the electron donor in the entire system. Simulated sunlight irradiation of the catalyst in a strongly acidic nitric acid (HNO3) solution (pH ∼ 1) containing Cl- stably generated NH3 with a solar-to-chemical conversion efficiency of ∼0.025%. This strategy paves the way for sustainable NH3 production from wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhiro Shiraishi
- Research Center
for Solar Energy Chemistry and Division of Chemical Engineering, Graduate
School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Japan
- Innovative Catalysis Science
Division, Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives
(ICS-OTRI), Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan
| | - Shotaro Akiyama
- Research Center
for Solar Energy Chemistry and Division of Chemical Engineering, Graduate
School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Japan
| | - Wataru Hiramatsu
- Research Center
for Solar Energy Chemistry and Division of Chemical Engineering, Graduate
School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Japan
| | - Kazutoshi Adachi
- Research Center
for Solar Energy Chemistry and Division of Chemical Engineering, Graduate
School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Japan
| | - Satoshi Ichikawa
- Research Center for Ultra-High
Voltage Electron Microscopy, Osaka University, Ibaraki 567-0047, Japan
| | - Takayuki Hirai
- Research Center
for Solar Energy Chemistry and Division of Chemical Engineering, Graduate
School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Japan
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39
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Shahid UB, Kwon Y, Yuan Y, Gu S, Shao M. High-Performance Ammonia Electrosynthesis from Nitrate in a NaOH-KOH-H 2O Ternary Electrolyte. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202403633. [PMID: 38516798 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202403633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
A glut of dinitrogen-derived ammonia (NH3) over the past century has resulted in a heavily imbalanced nitrogen cycle and consequently, the large-scale accumulation of reactive nitrogen such as nitrates in our ecosystems has led to detrimental environmental issues. Electrocatalytic upcycling of waste nitrogen back into NH3 holds promise in mitigating these environmental impacts and reducing reliance on the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process. Herein, we report a high-performance electrolyzer using an ultrahigh alkalinity electrolyte, NaOH-KOH-H2O, for low-cost NH3 electrosynthesis. At 3,000 mA/cm2, the device with a Fe-Cu-Ni ternary catalyst achieves an unprecedented faradaic efficiency (FE) of 92.5±1.5 % under a low cell voltage of 3.83 V; whereas at 1,000 mA/cm2, an FE of 96.5±4.8 % under a cell voltage of only 2.40 V was achieved. Techno-economic analysis revealed that our device cuts the levelized cost of ammonia electrosynthesis by ~40 % ($30.68 for Fe-Cu-Ni vs. $48.53 for Ni foam per kmol-NH3). The NaOH-KOH-H2O electrolyte together with the Fe-Cu-Ni ternary catalyst can enable the high-throughput nitrate-to-ammonia applications for affordable and scalable real-world wastewater treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Usman Bin Shahid
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P.R. China
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Yongjun Kwon
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P.R. China
| | - Yuan Yuan
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P.R. China
| | - Shuang Gu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS, USA
| | - Minhua Shao
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P.R. China
- Energy Institute, Hong Kong Branch of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, and Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P.R. China
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Energy Storage Technologies, Fok Ying Tung Research Institute, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Guangzhou, 511458, China
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40
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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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41
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Yang K, Han SH, Cheng C, Guo C, Li T, Yu Y. Unveiling the Reaction Mechanism of Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia Over Cobalt-Based Electrocatalysts. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:12976-12983. [PMID: 38567925 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c13517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate to ammonia (NRA) has emerged as an alternative strategy for sewage treatment and ammonia generation. Despite excellent performances having been achieved over cobalt-based electrocatalysts, the reaction mechanism as well as veritable active species across a wide potential range are still full of controversy. Here, we adopt CoP, Co, and Co3O4 as model materials to solve these issues. CoP evolves into a core@shell structured CoP@Co before NRA. For CoP@Co and Co catalysts, a three-step relay mechanism is carried out over superficial dynamical Coδ+ active species under low overpotential, while a continuous hydrogenation mechanism from nitrate to ammonia is unveiled over superficial Co species under high overpotential. In comparison, Co3O4 species are stable and steadily catalyze nitrate hydrogenation to ammonia across a wide potential range. As a result, CoP@Co and Co exhibit much higher NRA activity than Co3O4 especially under a low overpotential. Moreover, the NRA performance of CoP@Co is higher than Co although they experience the same reaction mechanism. A series of characterizations clarify the reason for performance enhancement highlighting that CoP core donates abundant electrons to superficial active species, leading to the generation of more active hydrogen for the reduction of nitrogen-containing intermediates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaiwen Yang
- Institute of Molecular Plus, School of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Shu-He Han
- Institute of Molecular Plus, School of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Chuanqi Cheng
- Institute of New Energy Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Chengying Guo
- Institute of Molecular Plus, School of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- Asia Silicon Joint Research Center of Ammonia-Hydrogen New Energy, Tianjin University, Xining 810000, China
| | - Tieliang Li
- Institute of Molecular Plus, School of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Yifu Yu
- Institute of Molecular Plus, School of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- Asia Silicon Joint Research Center of Ammonia-Hydrogen New Energy, Tianjin University, Xining 810000, China
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42
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Chang J, Shi Y, Wu H, Yu J, Jing W, Wang S, Waterhouse GIN, Tang Z, Lu S. Oxygen Radical Coupling on Short-Range Ordered Ru Atom Arrays Enables Exceptional Activity and Stability for Acidic Water Oxidation. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:12958-12968. [PMID: 38695595 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c13248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
The discovery of efficient and stable electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acid is vital for the commercialization of the proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzer. In this work, we demonstrate that short-range Ru atom arrays with near-ideal Ru-Ru interatomic distances and a unique Ru-O hybridization state can trigger direct O*-O* radical coupling to form an intermediate O*-O*-Ru configuration during acidic OER without generating OOH* species. Further, the Ru atom arrays suppress the participation of lattice oxygen in the OER and the dissolution of active Ru. Benefiting from these advantages, the as-designed Ru array-Co3O4 electrocatalyst breaks the activity/stability trade-off that plagues RuO2-based electrocatalysts, delivering an excellent OER overpotential of only 160 mV at 10 mA cm-2 in 0.5 M H2SO4 and outstanding durability during 1500 h operation, representing one of the best acid-stable OER electrocatalysts reported to date. 18O-labeled operando spectroscopic measurements together with theoretical investigations revealed that the short-range Ru atom arrays switched on an oxide path mechanism (OPM) during the OER. Our work not only guides the design of improved acidic OER catalysts but also encourages the pursuit of short-range metal atom array-based electrocatalysts for other electrocatalytic reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangwei Chang
- College of Chemistry and Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Yuanyuan Shi
- College of Chemistry and Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Han Wu
- College of Chemistry and Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Jingkun Yu
- College of Chemistry and Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Wen Jing
- College of Chemistry and Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Siyang Wang
- College of Chemistry and Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | | | - Zhiyong Tang
- Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Siyu Lu
- College of Chemistry and Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450000, China
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43
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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: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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44
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Qi R, Wang Z, Zhong M, Wang C, Bai F, Lu X. Synergistic Integration of Amorphous Cobalt Phosphide with a Conductive Channel for Highly Efficient Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2308311. [PMID: 38072774 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202308311] [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: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia (NO3RR) is regarded as a viable alternative reaction to "Haber Bosch" process. Nevertheless, it remains a major challenge to explore economical and efficient electrocatalysts that deliver high NH3 yield rates and Faraday efficiencies (FE). Here, it demonstrates the fabrication of a 3D core-shell structured Co-carbon nanofibers (CNF)/ZIF-CoP for NO3RR application. Benefitting from the distinct electron transport property of Co-CNF and desirable mass transfer ability from amorphous CoP framework, the as-prepared Co-CNF/ZIF-CoP exhibits large NH3 FE (96.8 ± 3.4% at -0.1 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)) and high yield rate (38.44 ± 0.65 mg cm-2 h-1 at -0.6 V vs RHE), which are better than Co-CNF/ZIF-crystal CoP. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further reveal that amorphous CoP presents a lower energy barrier in the rate determination step of the protonation of *NO to produce *NOH intermediates compared with crystal CoP, resulting in a superior NO3RR performance. Eventually, an aqueous galvanic Zn-NO3 - battery is assembled by using Co-CNF/ZIF-CoP as cathode material to achieve efficient production of NH3 whilst simultaneously supplying electrical power. This work offers a reliable strategy to construct amorphous metal phosphide framework on conducting CNF as efficient electrocatalyst and enriches its promising application for NO3RR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruikai Qi
- Alan G. MacDiarmid Institute, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Zhiwei Wang
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130023, P. R. China
| | - Mengxiao Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Ce Wang
- Alan G. MacDiarmid Institute, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Fuquan Bai
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130023, P. R. China
- International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, P. R. China
| | - Xiaofeng Lu
- Alan G. MacDiarmid Institute, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
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45
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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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46
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Liu W, Xia M, Zhao C, Chong B, Chen J, Li H, Ou H, Yang G. Efficient ammonia synthesis from the air using tandem non-thermal plasma and electrocatalysis at ambient conditions. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3524. [PMID: 38664388 PMCID: PMC11045753 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47765-9] [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: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
While electrochemical N2 reduction presents a sustainable approach to NH3 synthesis, addressing the emission- and energy-intensive limitations of the Haber-Bosch process, it grapples with challenges in N2 activation and competing with pronounced hydrogen evolution reaction. Here we present a tandem air-NOx-NOx--NH3 system that combines non-thermal plasma-enabled N2 oxidation with Ni(OH)x/Cu-catalyzed electrochemical NOx- reduction. It delivers a high NH3 yield rate of 3 mmol h-1 cm-2 and a corresponding Faradaic efficiency of 92% at -0.25 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode in batch experiments, outperforming previously reported ones. Furthermore, in a flow mode concurrently operating the non-thermal plasma and the NOx- electrolyzer, a stable NH3 yield rate of approximately 1.25 mmol h-1 cm-2 is sustained over 100 h using pure air as the intake. Mechanistic studies indicate that amorphous Ni(OH)x on Cu interacts with hydrated K+ in the double layer through noncovalent interactions and accelerates the activation of water, enriching adsorbed hydrogen species that can readily react with N-containing intermediates. In situ spectroscopies and density functional theory (DFT) results reveal that NOx- adsorption and their hydrogenation process are optimized over the Ni(OH)x/Cu surface. This work provides new insights into electricity-driven distributed NH3 production using natural air at ambient conditions.
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Grants
- This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2020YFA0710000, G.Y.), Joint Funds of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U22A20391, G.Y.), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 22108214, 22078256, G.Y.), Innovation Capability Support Program of Shaanxi (NO. 2023-CX-TD-26, G.Y.), and the Programme of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities (B23025, G.Y.)
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Liu
- A XJTU-Oxford International Joint Laboratory for Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, China
| | - Mengyang Xia
- A XJTU-Oxford International Joint Laboratory for Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, China
| | - Chao Zhao
- A XJTU-Oxford International Joint Laboratory for Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, China
| | - Ben Chong
- A XJTU-Oxford International Joint Laboratory for Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, China
| | - Jiahe Chen
- A XJTU-Oxford International Joint Laboratory for Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, China
| | - He Li
- A XJTU-Oxford International Joint Laboratory for Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, China
| | - Honghui Ou
- A XJTU-Oxford International Joint Laboratory for Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, China
| | - Guidong Yang
- A XJTU-Oxford International Joint Laboratory for Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, China.
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47
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Zhang LH, Zhang B, Hong Y, You Y, Zhou Y, Zhan J, Alonzo Poole D, Yu F. Deep Electron Redistributions Induced by Dual Junctions Facilitating Electroreduction of Dilute Nitrate to Ammonia. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024:e2402430. [PMID: 38623987 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202402430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
The electronic states of metal catalysts can be redistributed by the rectifying contact between metal and semiconductor e.g., N-doped carbon (NC), while the interfacial regulation degree is very limited. Herein, a deep electronic state regulation is achieved by constructing a novel double-heterojunctional Co/Co3O4@NC catalyst containing Co/Co3O4 and Co3O4/NC heterojunctions. When used for dilute electrochemical NO3 - reduction reaction (NO3RR), the as-prepared Co/Co3O4@NC exhibits an outstanding Faradaic efficiency for NH3 formation (FENH3) of 97.9%, -0.4 V versus RHE and significant NH3 yield of 303.5 mmol h-1 gcat -1 at -0.6 V at extremely low nitrate concentrations (100 ppm NO3 --N). Experimental and theoretical results reveal that the dual junctions of Co/Co3O4 and Co3O4/NC drive a unidirectional electron transfer from Co to NC (Co→Co3O4→NC), resulting in electron-deficient Co atoms. The electron-deficient Co promotes NO3 - adsorption, the rate-determining step (RDS) for NO3RR, facilitating the dilute NO3RR to NH3. The design strategy provides a novel reference for unidirectional multistage regulation of metal electronic states boosting electrochemical dilute NO3RR, which opens up an avenue for deep electronic state regulation of electrocatalyst breaking the limitation of the electronic regulation degree by rectifying contact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu-Hua Zhang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Energy Conservation in Chemical Process Integration and Resources Utilization, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, P. R. China
| | - Bo Zhang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Energy Conservation in Chemical Process Integration and Resources Utilization, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, P. R. China
| | - Yaohua Hong
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Energy Conservation in Chemical Process Integration and Resources Utilization, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, P. R. China
| | - Yang You
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Energy Conservation in Chemical Process Integration and Resources Utilization, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, P. R. China
| | - Yuzhuo Zhou
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Energy Conservation in Chemical Process Integration and Resources Utilization, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, P. R. China
| | - Jiayu Zhan
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Energy Conservation in Chemical Process Integration and Resources Utilization, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, P. R. China
| | - David Alonzo Poole
- Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Noord Holland, Amsterdam, 1081HV, The Netherlands
| | - Fengshou Yu
- National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Energy Conservation in Chemical Process Integration and Resources Utilization, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300130, P. R. China
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Lim M, Ma Z, O'Connell G, Yuwono JA, Kumar P, Jalili R, Amal R, Daiyan R, Lovell EC. Ru-Induced Defect Engineering in Co 3O 4 Lattice for High Performance Electrochemical Reduction of Nitrate to Ammonium. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024:e2401333. [PMID: 38602227 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202401333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Amidst these growing sustainability concerns, producing NH4 + via electrochemical NO3 - reduction reaction (NO3RR) emerges as a promising alternative to the conventional Haber-Bosch process. In a pioneering approach, this study introduces Ru incorporation into Co3O4 lattices at the nanoscale and further couples it with electroreduction conditioning (ERC) treatment as a strategy to enhance metal oxide reducibility and induce oxygen vacancies, advancing NH4 + production from NO3RR. Here, supported by a suite of ex situ and in situ characterization measurements, the findings reveal that Ru enrichment promotes Co species reduction and oxygen vacancy formation. Further, as evidenced by the theoretical calculations, Ru integration lowers the energy barrier for oxygen vacancy formation, thereby facilitating a more energy-efficient NO3RR-to-NH4 + pathway. Optimal catalytic activity is realized with a Ru loading of 10 at.% (named 10Ru/Co3O4), achieving a high NH4 + production rate (98 nmol s-1 cm-2), selectivity (97.5%) and current density (≈100 mA cm-2) at -1.0 V vs RHE. The findings not only provide insights into defect engineering via the incorporation of secondary sites but also lay the groundwork for innovative catalyst design aimed at improving NH4 + yield from NO3RR. This research contributes to the ongoing efforts to develop sustainable electrochemical processes for nitrogen cycle management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maggie Lim
- Particles and Catalysis Research Laboratories and School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Zhipeng Ma
- Particles and Catalysis Research Laboratories and School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - George O'Connell
- Particles and Catalysis Research Laboratories and School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Jodie A Yuwono
- Particles and Catalysis Research Laboratories and School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Priyank Kumar
- Particles and Catalysis Research Laboratories and School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Rouhollah Jalili
- Particles and Catalysis Research Laboratories and School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Rose Amal
- Particles and Catalysis Research Laboratories and School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Rahman Daiyan
- Particles and Catalysis Research Laboratories and School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Emma C Lovell
- Particles and Catalysis Research Laboratories and School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
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Bai L, Franco F, Timoshenko J, Rettenmaier C, Scholten F, Jeon HS, Yoon A, Rüscher M, Herzog A, Haase FT, Kühl S, Chee SW, Bergmann A, Beatriz RC. Electrocatalytic Nitrate and Nitrite Reduction toward Ammonia Using Cu 2O Nanocubes: Active Species and Reaction Mechanisms. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:9665-9678. [PMID: 38557016 PMCID: PMC11009949 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c13288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The electrochemical reduction of nitrate (NO3-) and nitrite (NO2-) enables sustainable, carbon-neutral, and decentralized routes to produce ammonia (NH3). Copper-based materials are promising electrocatalysts for NOx- conversion to NH3. However, the underlying reaction mechanisms and the role of different Cu species during the catalytic process are still poorly understood. Herein, by combining quasi in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), we unveiled that Cu is mostly in metallic form during the highly selective reduction of NO3-/NO2- to NH3. On the contrary, Cu(I) species are predominant in a potential region where the two-electron reduction of NO3- to NO2- is the major reaction. Electrokinetic analysis and in situ Raman spectroscopy was also used to propose possible steps and intermediates leading to NO2- and NH3, respectively. This work establishes a correlation between the catalytic performance and the dynamic changes of the chemical state of Cu, and provides crucial mechanistic insights into the pathways for NO3-/NO2- electrocatalytic reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Janis Timoshenko
- Department of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber-Institute of Max-Planck-Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Clara Rettenmaier
- Department of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber-Institute of Max-Planck-Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Fabian Scholten
- Department of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber-Institute of Max-Planck-Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Aram Yoon
- Department of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber-Institute of Max-Planck-Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Martina Rüscher
- Department of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber-Institute of Max-Planck-Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Antonia Herzog
- Department of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber-Institute of Max-Planck-Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Felix T. Haase
- Department of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber-Institute of Max-Planck-Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefanie Kühl
- Department of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber-Institute of Max-Planck-Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - See Wee Chee
- Department of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber-Institute of Max-Planck-Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Arno Bergmann
- Department of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber-Institute of Max-Planck-Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Roldan Cuenya Beatriz
- Department of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber-Institute of Max-Planck-Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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50
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Gao J, Ma Q, Zhang Y, Xue S, Young J, Zhao M, Ren ZJ, Kim JH, Zhang W. Coupling Curvature and Hydrophobicity: A Counterintuitive Strategy for Efficient Electroreduction of Nitrate into Ammonia. ACS NANO 2024; 18:10302-10311. [PMID: 38537206 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c02020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
The electrochemical upcycling of nitrate (NO3-) to ammonia (NH3) holds promise for synergizing both wastewater treatment and NH3 synthesis. Efficient stripping of gaseous products (NH3, H2, and N2) from electrocatalysts is crucial for continuous and stable electrochemical reactions. This study evaluated a layered electrocatalyst structure using copper (Cu) dendrites to enable a high curvature and hydrophobicity and achieve a stratified liquid contact at the gas-liquid interface of the electrocatalyst layer. As such, gaseous product desorption or displacement from electrocatalysts was enhanced due to the separation of a wetted reaction zone and a nonwetted zone for gas transfer. Consequently, this electrocatalyst structure yielded a 2.9-fold boost in per-active-site activity compared with that with a low curvature and high hydrophilic counterpart. Moreover, a NH3 Faradaic efficiency of 90.9 ± 2.3% was achieved with nearly 100% NO3- conversion. This high-curvature hydrophobic Cu dendrite was further integrated with a gas-extraction membrane, which demonstrated a comparable NH3 yield from the real reverse osmosis retentate brine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianan Gao
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, United States
| | - Qingquan Ma
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, United States
| | - Yihan Zhang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, United States
| | - Shan Xue
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, United States
| | - Joshua Young
- Department of Chemical & Materials Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, United States
| | - Mengqiang Zhao
- Department of Chemical & Materials Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, United States
| | - Zhiyong Jason Ren
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, United States
| | - Jae-Hong Kim
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, United States
| | - Wen Zhang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, United States
- Department of Chemical & Materials Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, United States
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