Reversed I₁Cu₄ single-atom sites for superior neutral ammonia electrosynthesis with nitrate.

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

SUBMITTER: Zhou B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11406288 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature