Near-Unity Nitrate to Ammonia conversion via reactant enrichment at the solid-liquid interface
Abstract Electroreduction of nitrate (NO3 ‒) to ammonia (NH3) is a promising approach for addressing energy challenges. However, the activity is limited by NO3 ‒ mass transfer, particularly at reduction potential, where an abundance of electrons on the cathode surface repels NO3 ‒ from the inner Hel...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60671-y |
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| Summary: | Abstract Electroreduction of nitrate (NO3 ‒) to ammonia (NH3) is a promising approach for addressing energy challenges. However, the activity is limited by NO3 ‒ mass transfer, particularly at reduction potential, where an abundance of electrons on the cathode surface repels NO3 ‒ from the inner Helmholtz plane (IHP). This constraint becomes pronounced as NO3 ‒ concentration decreases, impeding practical applications in the conversion of NO3 ‒-to-NH3. Herein, we propose a generic strategy of catalyst bandstructure engineering for the enrichment of negatively charged ions through solid-liquid (S-L) junction-mediated charge rearrangement within IHP. Specifically, during NO3 ‒ reduction, the formation of S-L junction induces hole transfer from Ag-doped MoS2 (Ag-MoS2) to electrode/electrolyte interface, triggering abundant positive charges on the IHP to attract NO3 ‒. Thus, Ag-MoS2 exhibits a ~ 28.6-fold NO3 ‒ concentration in the IHP than the counterpart without junction, and achieves near-100% NH3 Faradaic efficiency with an NH3 yield rate of ~20 mg h‒1 cm‒2 under ultralow NO3 ‒ concentrations. |
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| ISSN: | 2041-1723 |