Insights into lattice oxygen and strains of oxide-derived copper for ammonia electrosynthesis from nitrate
Abstract Electrocatalytic NO3 − reduction (eNO3RR) is a sustainable method for purification of NO3 − wastewater and NH3 recovery. Cu-based catalysts are promising for eNO3RR, but insufficient active hydrogen (*H) supply and *NO2 poison of active sites have hindered their performance, and the catalyt...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58811-5 |
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| author | Qinyue Wu Xinfei Fan Bing Shan Liang Qi Xie Quan Yanming Liu |
| author_facet | Qinyue Wu Xinfei Fan Bing Shan Liang Qi Xie Quan Yanming Liu |
| author_sort | Qinyue Wu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Electrocatalytic NO3 − reduction (eNO3RR) is a sustainable method for purification of NO3 − wastewater and NH3 recovery. Cu-based catalysts are promising for eNO3RR, but insufficient active hydrogen (*H) supply and *NO2 poison of active sites have hindered their performance, and the catalytic mechanism remains ambiguous. Here, we report oxide-derived copper nanosheet arrays (OD-Cu NSs) with residual lattice oxygen and lattice strains to enhance NH3 synthesis from eNO3RR. It is efficient for NH3 synthesis with high Faradaic efficiencies of 88.7-99.7% and maximum NH3 yield of 6.20 mmol·h−1·cm−2 at neutral solution, 10-140 mM NO3 − and 50-1500 mA·cm−2. Experimental and theoretical results reveal that lattice oxygen regulates the electronic structure of OD-Cu NSs and promotes *NO2 conversion, while lattice strain enhances *H generation from water dissociation, resulting in the good performance for NH3 synthesis. The applicability of OD-Cu NSs is proved by the high recovery of ammonia compound from eNO3RR. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d561f0ad4aa64ce7aa439b49ff6f76d6 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-d561f0ad4aa64ce7aa439b49ff6f76d62025-08-20T02:17:01ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-04-0116111210.1038/s41467-025-58811-5Insights into lattice oxygen and strains of oxide-derived copper for ammonia electrosynthesis from nitrateQinyue Wu0Xinfei Fan1Bing Shan2Liang Qi3Xie Quan4Yanming Liu5Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, China), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of TechnologyCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime UniversityDepartment of Chemistry, Zhejiang UniversityKey Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, China), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of TechnologyKey Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, China), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of TechnologyKey Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, China), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of TechnologyAbstract Electrocatalytic NO3 − reduction (eNO3RR) is a sustainable method for purification of NO3 − wastewater and NH3 recovery. Cu-based catalysts are promising for eNO3RR, but insufficient active hydrogen (*H) supply and *NO2 poison of active sites have hindered their performance, and the catalytic mechanism remains ambiguous. Here, we report oxide-derived copper nanosheet arrays (OD-Cu NSs) with residual lattice oxygen and lattice strains to enhance NH3 synthesis from eNO3RR. It is efficient for NH3 synthesis with high Faradaic efficiencies of 88.7-99.7% and maximum NH3 yield of 6.20 mmol·h−1·cm−2 at neutral solution, 10-140 mM NO3 − and 50-1500 mA·cm−2. Experimental and theoretical results reveal that lattice oxygen regulates the electronic structure of OD-Cu NSs and promotes *NO2 conversion, while lattice strain enhances *H generation from water dissociation, resulting in the good performance for NH3 synthesis. The applicability of OD-Cu NSs is proved by the high recovery of ammonia compound from eNO3RR.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58811-5 |
| spellingShingle | Qinyue Wu Xinfei Fan Bing Shan Liang Qi Xie Quan Yanming Liu Insights into lattice oxygen and strains of oxide-derived copper for ammonia electrosynthesis from nitrate Nature Communications |
| title | Insights into lattice oxygen and strains of oxide-derived copper for ammonia electrosynthesis from nitrate |
| title_full | Insights into lattice oxygen and strains of oxide-derived copper for ammonia electrosynthesis from nitrate |
| title_fullStr | Insights into lattice oxygen and strains of oxide-derived copper for ammonia electrosynthesis from nitrate |
| title_full_unstemmed | Insights into lattice oxygen and strains of oxide-derived copper for ammonia electrosynthesis from nitrate |
| title_short | Insights into lattice oxygen and strains of oxide-derived copper for ammonia electrosynthesis from nitrate |
| title_sort | insights into lattice oxygen and strains of oxide derived copper for ammonia electrosynthesis from nitrate |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58811-5 |
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