Homogeneously Mixed Cu–Co Bimetallic Catalyst Derived from Hydroxy Double Salt for Industrial-Level High-Rate Nitrate-to-Ammonia Electrosynthesis

• Published in: Journal of the American Chemical Society 2024-10, Vol.146 (40), p.27417-27428
• Main Authors: Jang, Wonsik, Oh, Dongrak, Lee, Jinyoung, Kim, Jongkyoung, Matthews, Jesse E., Kim, Hyoseok, Lee, Sang-Won, Lee, Seunghyun, Xu, Yi, Yu, Je Min, Hwang, Seon Woo, Jaramillo, Thomas F., Jang, Ji-Wook, Cho, Seungho
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: catalysts; electrosynthesis; hydrogen production; nanocomposites; nitrate reduction; solar cells; species; synergism
• ISSN: 0002-7863; 1520-5126; 1520-5126
• DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c07061

Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) presents an innovative approach for sustainable NH3 production. However, selective NH3 production is hindered by the multiple intermediates involved in the NO3RR process and the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction. Hence, the development of highly efficient NO3RR catalysts is paramount. Herein, we report highly efficient bimetallic catalysts derived from hydroxy double salt (HDS). Under NO3RR conditions, Cu1Co1-HDS undergoes in situ reconstruction, forming nanocomposites of homogeneously distributed metallic Cu0 and Co­(OH)2. Reconstruction-induced Cu0 rapidly converts NO3 – to NO2 –, which is further hydrogenated to NH3 by Co­(OH)2. Homogeneously mixed Cu and Co species maximize this synergistic effect, achieving outstanding NO3RR performance including the highest NH3 yield rate (4.625 mmol h–1 cm–2) reported for powder-type NO3RR catalysts. Integration of Cu1Co1-HDS with a commercial Si solar cell attained 4.53% solar-to-ammonia efficiency from industrial wastewater-level concentrations of NO3 – (2000 ppm), demonstrating practical application potential for solar-driven NH3 production. This study provides a strategy for enhancing the NH3 yield rate by optimizing the compositions and distributions of Cu and Co.