Matched Kinetics Process Over Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>‐Co/NiO Heterostructure Enables Highly Efficient Nitrate Electroreduction to Ammonia
Qiang Yang, Yongguang Bu, Shuailei Pu, Longgang Chu, Weifeng Huang, Xiangdong Zhu, Cun Liu, Guodong Fang, Peixin Cui, Dongmei Zhou, Yujun Wang
Abstract
Abstract Tandem nitrate electroreduction reaction (NO 3 − RR) is a promising method for green ammonia (NH 3 ) synthesis. However, the mismatched kinetics processes between NO 3 − ‐to‐NO 2 − and NO 2 − ‐to‐NH 3 results in poor selectivity for NH 3 and excess NO 2 − evolution in electrolyte solution. Herein, a Ni 2+ substitution strategy for developing oxide heterostructure in Co/Fe layered double oxides (LDOs) was designed and employed as tandem electrocataltysts for NO 3 − RR. (Co 0.83 Ni 0.16 ) 2 Fe exhibited a high NH 3 yield rate of 50.4 mg ⋅ cm −2 ⋅ h −1 with a Faradaic efficiency of 97.8 % at −0.42 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) in a pulsed electrolysis test. By combining with in situ / operando characterization technologies and theoretical calculations, we observed the strong selectivity of NH 3 evolution over (Co 0.83 Ni 0.16 ) 2 Fe, with Ni playing a dual role in NO 3 − RR by i) modifying the electronic behavior of Co, and ii) serving as complementary site for active hydrogen (*H) supply. Therefore, the adsorption capacity of *NO 2 and its subsequent hydrogenation on the Co sites became more thermodynamically feasible. This study shows that Ni substitution promotes the kinetics of the NO 3 − RR and provides insights into the design of tandem electrocatalysts for NH 3 evolution.