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research article

Dual–active–site accelerated hydrogenation facilitates efficient electrochemical reduction of nitrate to ammonia

Wei, Jinlong
•
Wang, Junli
•
Yu, Wanqiang
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December 5, 2025
Applied Catalysis B: Environmental

Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) materials are the most promising copper-based catalysts for electrochemical nitrate (NO3–) reduction to ammonia (NH3). Nevertheless, adsorption for N–containing intermediates (NO3–, NO2–, etc.) is too–strong, and combined with their limited hydrogenation capacity, reduces their capacity for efficient NH3 synthesis via alkaline electrochemical NO3– reduction reactions (eNO3–RR). Herein, we present a Cu2O catalytic electrode incorporating iron with a pyramid–like structure, fabricated on a copper foam (CF) matrix, obtained through an “electroplating–oxidation–electroreduction” (E–O–E) strategy. The incorporation of Fe regulates the local charge modulation environment and micromorphology of the Cu2O, creating Fe3+ and Cu+ dual active sites in the Cu2O/CF that accelerate the rate of hydrogenation. Calculations reveal that the incorporated Fe3+ shift the d–band center of Cu2O to the Fermi level and decrease the adsorptive free energies of bound N containing intermediates, facilitating the eNO3–RR reaction. The optimal Fe–Cu2O catalyst exhibits excellent performance in the eNO3–RR, achieving an NH3 yield rate of 10.27 mg h–1 cm–2 and a FE reaching 93.05 %. The catalytic performance remains stable at –0.3 V vs. RHE for 20 h under alkaline conditions, implying its outstanding durability. Consequently, this work highlights the potential of dual active sites via heteroatomic incorporation to boost the eNO3–RR process and provides new insights for developing advanced electrocatalysts.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1016/j.apcatb.2025.125629
Scopus ID

2-s2.0-105009231692

Author(s)
Wei, Jinlong

Kunming University of Science and Technology

Wang, Junli

Kunming University of Science and Technology

Yu, Wanqiang

University of Jinan

Li, Jiawei

University of Jinan

Yang, Ye

Kunming University of Science and Technology

Wang, Yunpeng

Kunming University of Science and Technology

Li, Nan

Kunming University of Science and Technology

Xu, Ruidong

Kunming University of Science and Technology

Yang, Linjing

Kunming University of Science and Technology

Li, Guixiang

Southeast University

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Date Issued

2025-12-05

Published in
Applied Catalysis B: Environmental
Volume

378

Article Number

125629

Subjects

Dual active sites

•

Electrochemical NO3[sbnd] reduction reaction

•

Heteroatomic incorporation

•

Hydrogenation

•

NH3 synthesis

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
LCOM  
FunderFunding(s)Grant NumberGrant URL

Southeast University

EPFL

University Service Key Industrial Science and Technology Project of Yunnan Province

BSPY2024038,FWCY BSPY2024038

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Available on Infoscience
July 5, 2025
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/251932
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