biostudies-literatureLu YNational Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)2392https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11893893biostudies-literatureUnknown16(1)The synergistic Cu⁰-Cu⁺ sites is regarded as the active species towards NH₃ synthesis from the nitrate electrochemical reduction reaction (NO₃^-RR) process. However, the mechanistic understanding and the roles of Cu⁰ and Cu⁺ remain exclusive. The big obstacle is that it is challenging to effectively regulate the interfacial motifs of Cu⁰-Cu⁺ sites. In this paper, we describe the tunable construction of Cu⁰-Cu⁺ interfacial structure by modulating the size-effect of Cu₂O nanocube electrocatalysts to NO₃^-RR performance. We elucidate the formation mechanism of Cu⁰-Cu⁺ motifs by correlating the macroscopic particle size wiNature communicationsSize-effect induced controllable Cu<sup>0</sup>-Cu<sup>+</sup> sites for ampere-level nitrate electroreduction coupled with biomass upgrading.PMC11893893224021102216202522332002,2192520322222304, 22403048Jing YYang HYue FFu FLu YLiu THuang YCYang CfalseSize-effect induced controllable Cu<sup>0</sup>-Cu<sup>+</sup> sites for ampere-level nitrate electroreduction coupled with biomass upgrading.The synergistic Cu⁰-Cu⁺ sites is regarded as the active species towards NH₃ synthesis from the nitrate electrochemical reduction reaction (NO₃^-RR) process. However, the mechanistic understanding and the roles of Cu⁰ and Cu⁺ remain exclusive. The big obstacle is that it is challenging to effectively regulate the interfacial motifs of Cu⁰-Cu⁺ sites. In this paper, we describe the tunable construction of Cu⁰-Cu⁺ interfacial structure by modulating the size-effect of Cu₂O nanocube electrocatalysts to NO₃^-RR performance. We elucidate the formation mechanism of Cu⁰-Cu⁺ motifs by correlating the macroscopic particle size wi2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Mar2025-04-26T02:48:08.831Z2025-04-06T10:34:29.877ZS-EPMC118938934006485910.1038/s41467-025-57097-x