1
|
Zhou B, Tong Y, Yao Y, Zhang W, Zhan G, Zheng Q, Hou W, Gu XK, Zhang L. Reversed I 1Cu 4 single-atom sites for superior neutral ammonia electrosynthesis with nitrate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2405236121. [PMID: 39226362 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2405236121] [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: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Electrochemical ammonia (NH3) synthesis from nitrate reduction (NITRR) offers an appealing solution for addressing environmental concerns and the energy crisis. However, most of the developed electrocatalysts reduce NO3- to NH3 via a hydrogen (H*)-mediated reduction mechanism, which suffers from undesired H*-H* dimerization to H2, resulting in unsatisfactory NH3 yields. Herein, we demonstrate that reversed I1Cu4 single-atom sites, prepared by anchoring iodine single atoms on the Cu surface, realized superior NITRR with a superior ammonia yield rate of 4.36 mg h-1 cm-2 and a Faradaic efficiency of 98.5% under neutral conditions via a proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) mechanism, far beyond those of traditional Cu sites (NH3 yield rate of 0.082 mg h-1 cm-2 and Faradaic efficiency of 36.5%) and most of H*-mediated NITRR electrocatalysts. Theoretical calculations revealed that I single atoms can regulate the local electronic structures of adjacent Cu sites in favor of stronger O-end-bidentate NO3- adsorption with dual electron transfer channels and suppress the H* formation from the H2O dissociation, thus switching the NITRR mechanism from H*-mediated reduction to PCET. By integrating the monolithic I1Cu4 single-atom electrode into a flow-through device for continuous NITRR and in situ ammonia recovery, an industrial-level current density of 1 A cm-2 was achieved along with a NH3 yield rate of 69.4 mg h-1 cm-2. This study offers reversed single-atom sites for electrochemical ammonia synthesis with nitrate wastewater and sheds light on the importance of switching catalytic mechanisms in improving the performance of electrochemical reactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bing Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental & Applied Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, People's Republic of China
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Yawen Tong
- School of Power and Mechanical Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China
| | - Yancai Yao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Weixing Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental & Applied Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangming Zhan
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Qian Zheng
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Hou
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiang-Kui Gu
- School of Power and Mechanical Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China
| | - Lizhi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental & Applied Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, People's Republic of China
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wang X, Ge Y, Sun M, Xu Z, Huang B, Li L, Zhou X, Zhang S, Liu G, Shi Z, Zhang A, Chen B, Wa Q, Luo Q, Zhu Y, Huang B, Zhang H. Facet-Controlled Synthesis of Unconventional-Phase Metal Alloys for Highly Efficient Hydrogen Oxidation. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:24141-24149. [PMID: 39162360 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c08905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/21/2024]
Abstract
Facet control and phase engineering of metal nanomaterials are both important strategies to regulate their physicochemical properties and improve their applications. However, it is still a challenge to tune the exposed facets of metal nanomaterials with unconventional crystal phases, hindering the exploration of the facet effects on their properties and functions. In this work, by using Pd nanoparticles with unconventional hexagonal close-packed (hcp, 2H type) phase, referred to as 2H-Pd, as seeds, a selective epitaxial growth method is developed to tune the predominant growth directions of secondary materials on 2H-Pd, forming Pd@NiRh nanoplates (NPLs) and nanorods (NRs) with 2H phase, referred to as 2H-Pd@2H-NiRh NPLs and NRs, respectively. The 2H-Pd@2H-NiRh NRs expose more (100)h and (101)h facets on the 2H-NiRh shells compared to the 2H-Pd@2H-NiRh NPLs. Impressively, when used as electrocatalysts toward hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR), the 2H-Pd@2H-NiRh NRs show superior activity compared to the NiRh alloy with conventional face-centered cubic (fcc) phase (fcc-NiRh) and the 2H-Pd@2H-NiRh NPLs, revealing the crucial role of facet control in enhancing the catalytic performance of unconventional-phase metal nanomaterials. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further unravel that the excellent HOR activity of 2H-Pd@2H-NiRh NRs can be attributed to the more exposed (100)h and (101)h facets on the 2H-NiRh shells, which possess high electron transfer efficiency, optimized H* binding energy, enhanced OH* binding energy, and a low energy barrier for the rate-determining step during the HOR process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xixi Wang
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yiyao Ge
- State Key Laboratory for Advanced Metals and Materials, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Mingzi Sun
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Zhihang Xu
- Department of Applied Physics and Research Institute for Smart Energy, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Biao Huang
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center (NPMM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Lujiang Li
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xichen Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shuai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Advanced Metals and Materials, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Guanghua Liu
- State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics & Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Zhenyu Shi
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - An Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Bo Chen
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Qingbo Wa
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Qinxin Luo
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ye Zhu
- Department of Applied Physics and Research Institute for Smart Energy, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Bolong Huang
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Hua Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center (NPMM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
- Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
- Shenzhen Research Institute, City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518057, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zhu A, Liu H, Bu S, Liu K, Luan C, Lin D, Gan G, Zhou Y, Zhang T, Liu K, Hong G, Li H, Zhang W. Facet-Dependent Evolution of Active Components on Spinel Co 3O 4 for Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis. ACS NANO 2024; 18:22344-22355. [PMID: 39106490 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c06637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/09/2024]
Abstract
Spinel cobalt oxides (Co3O4) have emerged as a promising class of catalysts for the electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (eNO3RR) to ammonia, offering advantages such as low cost, high activity, and selectivity. However, the specific role of crystallographic facets in determining the catalysts' performance remains elusive, impeding the development of efficient catalysts. In this study, we have synthesized various Co3O4 nanostructures with exposed facets of {100}, {111}, {110}, and {112}, aiming to investigate the dependence of the eNO3RR activity on the crystallographic facets. Among the catalysts tested, Co3O4 {111} shows the best performance, achieving an ammonia Faradaic efficiency of 99.1 ± 1.8% with a yield rate of 35.2 ± 0.6 mg h-1 cm-2 at -0.6 V vs RHE. Experimental and theoretical results reveal a transformation process in which the active phases evolve from Co3O4 to Co3O4-x with oxygen vacancy (Ov), followed by a Co3O4-x-Ov/Co(OH)2 hybrid, and finally Co(OH)2. This process is observed for all facets, but the formation of Ov and Co(OH)2 is the most rapid on the (111) surface. The presence of Ov significantly reduces the free energy of the *NH2 intermediate formation from 1.81 to -0.53 eV, and plentiful active sites on the densely reconstructed Co(OH)2 make Co3O4 {111} an ideal catalyst for ammonia synthesis via eNO3RR. This work provides insights into the understanding of the realistic active components, offers a strategy for developing highly efficient Co-based spinel catalysts for ammonia synthesis through tuning the exposed facets, and helps further advance the design and optimization of catalysts in the field of eNO3RR.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anquan Zhu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, & Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Heng Liu
- Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
| | - Shuyu Bu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, & Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Kai Liu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, & Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Chuhao Luan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, & Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Dewu Lin
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, & Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Guoqiang Gan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, & Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Yin Zhou
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, & Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Tian Zhang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, & Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Kunlun Liu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, & Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Guo Hong
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, & Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Hao Li
- Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
| | - Wenjun Zhang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, & Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Zheng Y, Tan Y, Yu X, Yao H, Hu S, Hu J, Chen Z, Guo X. Optimized Intermediates Adsorption Configuration on Co-Doped Fe 2P@NiP 2 Heterojunction Interface for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Nitrate-To-Ammonia Conversion. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2312136. [PMID: 38482968 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202312136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/09/2024]
Abstract
The extraction of ammonia (NH3) through electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO3 -RR) represents a sustainable avenue in NH3 generation and utilization. However, the catalytic efficiency of the NO3 -RR is hindered by the sluggish kinetics. This study first theoretically found that phosphide-based heterostructure can alter the adsorption structure of intermediates in the nitrate-to-ammonia process, thereby achieving precise regulation of the energy barrier in the rate-determining step. Based on theoretical design, a novel Co-doped Fe2P@NiP2 heterojunction catalyst is successfully synthesized, which deliver a notable NH3 yield rate of 0.395 mmol h-1 cm-2 at -0.7 V versus RHE, as well as a remarkable ammonia Faraday efficiency of 97.2% at -0.6 V versus RHE. Experimental and theoretical results further confirm that redistributing electrons and shifting the center of the d-band upwards through interfacial doping modulate intermediates adsorption strength and inhibition of hydrogen evolution, leading to excellent performance in NO3 --to-NH3. Further integrating the Co-Fe2P@NiP2 catalyst into a Zn-nitrate battery exhibits a substantial voltage output of 1.49 V and a commendable power density of 13.2 mW cm-2. The heteroatom-doped heterojunction strategy provides a versatile route for developing advanced catalysts, thereby broadening the horizons of electrocatalytic methodologies for nitrate reduction and ammonia synthesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yinan Zheng
- Key Lab of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule Chemistry of Ministry of Education, The College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, P. R. China
| | - Yuan Tan
- School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, P. R. China
| | - Xin Yu
- Key Lab of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule Chemistry of Ministry of Education, The College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, P. R. China
| | - Hu Yao
- Key Lab of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule Chemistry of Ministry of Education, The College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, P. R. China
| | - Songjie Hu
- Key Lab of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule Chemistry of Ministry of Education, The College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, P. R. China
| | - Jun Hu
- School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, P. R. China
| | - Zhong Chen
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Xiaohui Guo
- Key Lab of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule Chemistry of Ministry of Education, The College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
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; 146:20069-20079. [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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wei Y, Huang J, Chen H, Zheng SJ, Huang RW, Dong XY, Li LK, Cao A, Cai J, Zang SQ. Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction on Metallic CoNi-Terminated Catalyst with Industrial-Level Current Density in Neutral Medium. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2404774. [PMID: 38721927 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202404774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Green ammonia synthesis through electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (eNO3RR) can serve as an effective alternative to the traditional energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process. However, achieving high Faradaic efficiency (FE) at industrially relevant current density in neutral medium poses significant challenges in eNO3RR. Herein, with the guidance of theoretical calculation, a metallic CoNi-terminated catalyst is successfully designed and constructed on copper foam, which achieves an ammonia FE of up to 100% under industrial-level current density and very low overpotential (-0.15 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode) in a neutral medium. Multiple characterization results have confirmed that the maintained metal atom-terminated surface through interaction with copper atoms plays a crucial role in reducing overpotential and achieving high current density. By constructing a homemade gas stripping and absorption device, the complete conversion process for high-purity ammonium nitrate products is demonstrated, displaying the potential for practical application. This work suggests a sustainable and promising process toward directly converting nitrate-containing pollutant solutions into practical nitrogen fertilizers.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Li X, Duan X, Zhang S, Wang C, Hua K, Wang Z, Wu Y, Li J, Liu J. Strategies for Achieving Ultra-Long ORR Durability-Rh Activates Interatomic Interactions in Alloys. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202400549. [PMID: 38595043 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202400549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
The stability of platinum-based alloy catalysts is crucial for the future development of proton exchange membrane fuel cells, considering the potential dissolution of transition metals under complex operating conditions. Here, we report on a Rh-doped Pt3Co alloy that exhibits strong interatomic interactions, thereby enhancing the durability of fuel cells. The Rh-Pt3Co/C catalyst demonstrates exceptional catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) (1.31 A mgPt -1 at 0.9 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and maintaining 92 % of its mass activity after 170,000 potential cycles). Long-term testing has shown direct inhibition of Co dissolution in Rh-Pt3Co/C. Furthermore, tests on proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) have shown excellent performance and long-term durability with low Pt loading. After 50,000 cycles, there was no voltage loss at 0.8 A cm-2 for Rh-Pt3Co/C, while Pt3Co/C experienced a loss of 200 mV. Theoretical calculations suggest that introducing transition metal atoms through doping creates a stronger compressive strain, which in turn leads to increased catalytic activity. Additionally, Rh doping increases the energy barrier for Co diffusion in the bulk phase, while also raising the vacancy formation energy of the surface Pt. This ensures the long-term stability of the alloy over the course of the cycle.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoke Li
- National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, P. R. China
- Institute of Energy Power Innovation, North China Electric Power University, 2 Beinong Road, Beijing, 102206, P. R. China
| | - Xiao Duan
- National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, P. R. China
| | - Siao Zhang
- Institute of Energy Power Innovation, North China Electric Power University, 2 Beinong Road, Beijing, 102206, P. R. China
| | - Chuanjie Wang
- Institute of Energy Power Innovation, North China Electric Power University, 2 Beinong Road, Beijing, 102206, P. R. China
| | - Kang Hua
- National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, P. R. China
| | - Zejin Wang
- National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, P. R. China
| | - Yongkang Wu
- National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, P. R. China
| | - Jia Li
- Institute of Energy Power Innovation, North China Electric Power University, 2 Beinong Road, Beijing, 102206, P. R. China
| | - Jianguo Liu
- Institute of Energy Power Innovation, North China Electric Power University, 2 Beinong Road, Beijing, 102206, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Zhou Y, Zhang L, Zhu Z, Wang M, Li N, Qian T, Yan C, Lu J. Optimizing Intermediate Adsorption over PdM (M=Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) Bimetallene for Boosted Nitrate Electroreduction to Ammonia. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202319029. [PMID: 38449084 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202319029] [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: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Electrochemical reduction of nitrate to ammonia (NO3RR) is a promising and eco-friendly strategy for ammonia production. However, the sluggish kinetics of the eight-electron transfer process and poor mechanistic understanding strongly impedes its application. To unveil the internal laws, herein, a library of Pd-based bimetallene with various transition metal dopants (PdM (M=Fe, Co, Ni, Cu)) are screened to learn their structure-activity relationship towards NO3RR. The ultra-thin structure of metallene greatly facilitates the exposure of active sites, and the transition metals dopants break the electronic balance and upshift its d-band center, thus optimizing intermediates adsorption. The anisotropic electronic characteristics of these transition metals make the NO3RR activity in the order of PdCu>PdCo≈PdFe>PdNi>Pd, and a record-high NH3 yield rate of 295 mg h-1 mgcat -1 along with Faradaic efficiency of 90.9 % is achieved in neutral electrolyte on PdCu bimetallene. Detailed studies further reveal that the moderate N-species (*NO3 and *NO2) adsorption ability, enhanced *NO activation, and reduced HER activity facilitate the NH3 production. We believe our results will give a systematic guidance to the future design of NO3RR catalysts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuanbo Zhou
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, College of Chemistry Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Lifang Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong, 226019, P. R. China
| | - Zebin Zhu
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, College of Chemistry Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Mengfan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Core Technology of High Specific Energy Battery and Key Materials for Petroleum and Chemical Industry, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
| | - Najun Li
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, College of Chemistry Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
| | - Tao Qian
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong, 226019, P. R. China
| | - Chenglin Yan
- Key Laboratory of Core Technology of High Specific Energy Battery and Key Materials for Petroleum and Chemical Industry, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
- School of Petrochemical Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou, 213164, P. R. China
| | - Jianmei Lu
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, College of Chemistry Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, 199 Ren'ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Guo L, Zhou J, Liu F, Meng X, Ma Y, Hao F, Xiong Y, Fan Z. Electronic Structure Design of Transition Metal-Based Catalysts for Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction. ACS NANO 2024; 18:9823-9851. [PMID: 38546130 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c01456] [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
With the increasingly serious greenhouse effect, the electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) has garnered widespread attention as it is capable of leveraging renewable energy to convert CO2 into value-added chemicals and fuels. However, the performance of CO2RR can hardly meet expectations because of the diverse intermediates and complicated reaction processes, necessitating the exploitation of highly efficient catalysts. In recent years, with advanced characterization technologies and theoretical simulations, the exploration of catalytic mechanisms has gradually deepened into the electronic structure of catalysts and their interactions with intermediates, which serve as a bridge to facilitate the deeper comprehension of structure-performance relationships. Transition metal-based catalysts (TMCs), extensively applied in electrochemical CO2RR, demonstrate substantial potential for further electronic structure modulation, given their abundance of d electrons. Herein, we discuss the representative feasible strategies to modulate the electronic structure of catalysts, including doping, vacancy, alloying, heterostructure, strain, and phase engineering. These approaches profoundly alter the inherent properties of TMCs and their interaction with intermediates, thereby greatly affecting the reaction rate and pathway of CO2RR. It is believed that the rational electronic structure design and modulation can fundamentally provide viable directions and strategies for the development of advanced catalysts toward efficient electrochemical conversion of CO2 and many other small molecules.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liang Guo
- 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
| | - 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
| | - Fu Liu
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Xiang Meng
- 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
| | - Yangbo Ma
- Department of Chemistry, 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
| | - 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
| | - 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
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
- Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy (HKICE), City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Wang Y, Hao F, Sun M, Liu MT, Zhou J, Xiong Y, Ye C, Wang X, Liu F, Wang J, Lu P, Ma Y, Yin J, Chen HC, Zhang Q, Gu L, Chen HM, Huang B, Fan Z. Crystal Phase Engineering of Ultrathin Alloy Nanostructures for Highly Efficient Electroreduction of Nitrate to Ammonia. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2313548. [PMID: 38279631 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202313548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) toward ammonia synthesis is recognized as a sustainable strategy to balance the global nitrogen cycle. However, it still remains a great challenge to achieve highly efficient ammonia production due to the complex proton-coupled electron transfer process in NO3RR. Here, the controlled synthesis of RuMo alloy nanoflowers (NFs) with unconventional face-centered cubic (fcc) phase and hexagonal close-packed/fcc heterophase for highly efficient NO3RR is reported. Significantly, fcc RuMo NFs demonstrate high Faradaic efficiency of 95.2% and a large yield rate of 32.7 mg h-1 mgcat -1 toward ammonia production at 0 and -0.1 V (vs reversible hydrogen electrode), respectively. In situ characterizations and theoretical calculations have unraveled that fcc RuMo NFs possess the highest d-band center with superior electroactivity, which originates from the strong Ru─Mo interactions and the high intrinsic activity of the unconventional fcc phase. The optimal electronic structures of fcc RuMo NFs supply strong adsorption of key intermediates with suppression of the competitive hydrogen evolution, which further determines the remarkable NO3RR performance. The successful demonstration of high-performance zinc-nitrate batteries with fcc RuMo NFs suggests their substantial application potential in electrochemical energy supply systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yunhao Wang
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Fengkun Hao
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Mingzi Sun
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Meng-Ting Liu
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Emerging Materials and Advanced Devices, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Jingwen Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center (NPMM), City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Yuecheng Xiong
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center (NPMM), City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Chenliang Ye
- Department of Power Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Baoding, Hebei, 071003, China
| | - Xixi Wang
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Fu Liu
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Juan Wang
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Pengyi Lu
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center (NPMM), City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Yangbo Ma
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Jinwen Yin
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Hsiao-Chien Chen
- Center for Reliability Science and Technologies, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, 33302, Taiwan
| | - Qinghua Zhang
- Institute of Physics, Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, 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
| | - Hao Ming Chen
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Emerging Materials and Advanced Devices, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Nanomedicine and Medical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan
| | - Bolong Huang
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, China
| | - Zhanxi Fan
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center (NPMM), City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, 518057, China
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Zhang H, Wang H, Cao X, Chen M, Liu Y, Zhou Y, Huang M, Xia L, Wang Y, Li T, Zheng D, Luo Y, Sun S, Zhao X, Sun X. Unveiling Cutting-Edge Developments in Electrocatalytic Nitrate-to-Ammonia Conversion. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2312746. [PMID: 38198832 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202312746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
The excessive enrichment of nitrate in the environment can be converted into ammonia (NH3) through electrochemical processes, offering significant implications for modern agriculture and the potential to reduce the burden of the Haber-Bosch (HB) process while achieving environmentally friendly NH3 production. Emerging research on electrocatalytic nitrate reduction (eNitRR) to NH3 has gained considerable momentum in recent years for efficient NH3 synthesis. However, existing reviews on nitrate reduction have primarily focused on limited aspects, often lacking a comprehensive summary of catalysts, reaction systems, reaction mechanisms, and detection methods employed in nitrate reduction. This review aims to provide a timely and comprehensive analysis of the eNitRR field by integrating existing research progress and identifying current challenges. This review offers a comprehensive overview of the research progress achieved using various materials in electrochemical nitrate reduction, elucidates the underlying theoretical mechanism behind eNitRR, and discusses effective strategies based on numerous case studies to enhance the electrochemical reduction from NO3 - to NH3. Finally, this review discusses challenges and development prospects in the eNitRR field with an aim to guide design and development of large-scale sustainable nitrate reduction electrocatalysts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Zhang
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Environmental Pollution Control, National Engineering Research Center for Marine Aquaculture, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, 316004, China
| | - Haijian Wang
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Environmental Pollution Control, National Engineering Research Center for Marine Aquaculture, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, 316004, China
| | - Xiqian Cao
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Environmental Pollution Control, National Engineering Research Center for Marine Aquaculture, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, 316004, China
| | - Mengshan Chen
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Environmental Pollution Control, National Engineering Research Center for Marine Aquaculture, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, 316004, China
| | - Yuelong Liu
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan, 650092, China
| | - Yingtang Zhou
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Environmental Pollution Control, National Engineering Research Center for Marine Aquaculture, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, 316004, China
| | - Ming Huang
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
| | - Lu Xia
- ICFO-Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels, Barcelona, 08860, Spain
| | - Yan Wang
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
| | - Tingshuai Li
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
| | - Dongdong Zheng
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, China
| | - Yongsong Luo
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, China
| | - Shengjun Sun
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, China
| | - Xue Zhao
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan, 650092, China
| | - Xuping Sun
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610054, China
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, China
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Zhong W, Hong QL, Ai X, Zhang C, Li FM, Li XF, Chen Y. RhNi Bimetallenes with Lattice-Compressed Rh Skin towards Ultrastable Acidic Nitrate Electroreduction. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024:e2314351. [PMID: 38408278 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202314351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Revised: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Harvesting recyclable ammonia (NH3 ) from acidic nitrate (NO3 - )-containing wastewater requires the utilization of corrosion-resistant electrocatalytic materials with high activity and selectivity towards acidic electrochemical nitrate reduction (NO3 ER). Herein, ultrathin RhNi bimetallenes with Rh-skin-type structure (RhNi@Rh BMLs) are fabricated towards acidic NO3 ER. The Rh-skin atoms on the surface of RhNi@Rh BMLs experience the lattice compression-induced strain effect, resulting in shortened Rh-Rh bond and downshifted d-band center. Experimental and theoretical calculation results corroborate that Rh-skin atoms can inhibit NO2 */NH2 * adsorption-induced Rh dissolution, contributing to the exceptional electrocatalytic durability of RhNi@Rh BMLs (over 400 h) towards acidic NO3 ER. RhNi@Rh BMLs also reveal an excellent catalytic performance, boasting a 98.4% NH3 Faradaic efficiency and a 13.4 mg h-1 mgcat -1 NH3 yield. Theoretical calculations reveal that compressive stress tunes the electronic structure of Rh skin atoms, which facilitates the reduction of NO* to NOH* in NO3 ER. The practicality of RhNi@Rh BMLs has also been confirmed in an alkaline-acidic hybrid zinc-nitrate battery with a 1.39 V open circuit voltage and a 10.5 mW cm-2 power density. This work offers valuable insights into the nature of electrocatalyst deactivation behavior and guides the development of high-efficiency corrosion-resistant electrocatalysts for applications in energy and environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Advanced Energy Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, P. R. China
| | - Qing-Ling Hong
- Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Advanced Energy Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, P. R. China
| | - Xuan Ai
- Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Advanced Energy Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, P. R. China
| | - Chong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Advanced Energy Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, P. R. China
| | - Fu-Min Li
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion and Storage (Ministry of Education), Hubei Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry and Service Failure, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430074, P. R. China
| | - Xi-Fei Li
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Batteries Materials for Electric Vehicles of China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an, 710048, P. R. China
| | - Yu Chen
- Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Advanced Energy Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Zhou J, Xiong Y, Sun M, Xu Z, Wang Y, Lu P, Liu F, Hao F, Feng T, Ma Y, Yin J, Ye C, Chen B, Xi S, Zhu Y, Huang B, Fan Z. Constructing molecule-metal relay catalysis over heterophase metallene for high-performance rechargeable zinc-nitrate/ethanol batteries. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2311149120. [PMID: 38064508 PMCID: PMC10723141 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2311149120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Zinc-nitrate batteries can integrate energy supply, ammonia electrosynthesis, and sewage disposal into one electrochemical device. However, current zinc-nitrate batteries still severely suffer from the limited energy density and poor rechargeability. Here, we report the synthesis of tetraphenylporphyrin (tpp)-modified heterophase (amorphous/crystalline) rhodium-copper alloy metallenes (RhCu M-tpp). Using RhCu M-tpp as a bifunctional catalyst for nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) and ethanol oxidation reaction in neutral solution, a highly rechargeable and low-overpotential zinc-nitrate/ethanol battery is successfully constructed, which exhibits outstanding energy density of 117364.6 Wh kg-1cat, superior rate capability, excellent cycling stability of ~400 cycles, and potential ammonium acetate production. Ex/in situ experimental studies and theoretical calculations reveal that there is a molecule-metal relay catalysis in NO3RR over RhCu M-tpp that significantly facilitates the ammonia selectivity and reaction kinetics via a low energy barrier pathway. This work provides an effective design strategy of multifunctional metal-based catalysts toward the high-performance zinc-based hybrid energy systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jingwen Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
- Institute of Chemical Materials, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang621900, China
| | - Yuecheng Xiong
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
| | - Mingzi Sun
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
| | - Zhihang Xu
- Department of Applied Physics Research Institute for Smart Energy, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
| | - Yunhao Wang
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
| | - Pengyi Lu
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
| | - Fu Liu
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
| | - Fengkun Hao
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
| | - Tianyi Feng
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
| | - Yangbo Ma
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
| | - Jinwen Yin
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
| | - Chenliang Ye
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen518060, China
| | - Biao Chen
- School of Material Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin300350, China
| | - Shibo Xi
- Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment, A*STAR, Singapore627833, Singapore
| | - Ye Zhu
- Department of Applied Physics Research Institute for Smart Energy, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
| | - Bolong Huang
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
| | - Zhanxi Fan
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
- Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon999077, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen518057, China
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Zhang R, Li C, Cui H, Wang Y, Zhang S, Li P, Hou Y, Guo Y, Liang G, Huang Z, Peng C, Zhi C. Electrochemical nitrate reduction in acid enables high-efficiency ammonia synthesis and high-voltage pollutes-based fuel cells. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8036. [PMID: 38052852 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43897-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Most current research is devoted to electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction for ammonia synthesis under alkaline/neutral media while the investigation of nitrate reduction under acidic conditions is rarely reported. In this work, we demonstrate the potential of TiO2 nanosheet with intrinsically poor hydrogen-evolution activity for selective and rapid nitrate reduction to ammonia under acidic conditions. Hybridized with iron phthalocyanine, the resulting catalyst displays remarkably improved efficiency toward ammonia formation owing to the enhanced nitrate adsorption, suppressed hydrogen evolution and lowered energy barrier for the rate-determining step. Then, an alkaline-acid hybrid Zn-nitrate battery was developed with high open-circuit voltage of 1.99 V and power density of 91.4 mW cm-2. Further, the environmental sulfur recovery can be powered by above hybrid battery and the hydrazine-nitrate fuel cell can be developed for simultaneously hydrazine/nitrate conversion and electricity generation. This work demonstrates the attractive potential of acidic nitrate reduction for ammonia electrosynthesis and broadens the field of energy conversion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rong Zhang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Hong Kong, China
| | - Chuan Li
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Hong Kong, China
| | - Huilin Cui
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yanbo Wang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shaoce Zhang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Hong Kong, China
| | - Pei Li
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yue Hou
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ying Guo
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, 518061, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Guojin Liang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Hong Kong, China
| | - Zhaodong Huang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Hong Kong, China
| | - Chao Peng
- Multiscale Crystal Materials Research Center, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 518055, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Chunyi Zhi
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, 999077, Hong Kong, China.
- Centre for Functional Photonics, City University of Hong Kong, 999077, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, 523808, Dongguan, Guangdong, China.
| |
Collapse
|