Electrochemical nitrate reduction(ENR)is an economical and eco-friendly method for converting industrial wastewater into valuable ammonia under atmospheric conditions.The main challenge lies in designing and developin...Electrochemical nitrate reduction(ENR)is an economical and eco-friendly method for converting industrial wastewater into valuable ammonia under atmospheric conditions.The main challenge lies in designing and developing highly durable ENR electrocatalysts.This study introduces defect-rich mesoporous CuO_(x) nanowires electrocatalyst synthesized using a novel solution-flame(sol-flame)hybrid method to control mesoporosity and introduce surface defects,thereby enhancing the electrochemical nitrate-toammonia production performance.We found surface defects(oxygen vacancies and Cu^(+))and unique mesoporous nanowire structure composed of tightly interconnected nanoparticles.The sol-flamesynthesized CuO_(x) nanowires(sf-CuO NWs)achieved superior ammonia yield rate(0.51 mmol h^(-1)cm^(-2)),faradaic efficiency(97.3%),and selectivity(86.2%)in 1 M KOH electrolyte(2000 ppm nitrate).This performance surpasses that of non-porous and less-defective CuO NWs and is attributed to the increased surface area and rapid electron transport facilitated by the distinctive morphology and generated defects.Theoretical calculation further suggests oxygen vacancies enhance NO_(3)^(-)adsorption on the sf-CuO NWs’surface and mitigate the competing hydrogen evolution reaction.This study outlines a strategic design and simple synthesis approach for nanowire electrocatalysts that boost the efficiency of electrochemical nitrate-to-ammonia conversion.展开更多
基金supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF)grant funded by the Korea government(MSIT)(No.-RS-2024-00335976)。
文摘Electrochemical nitrate reduction(ENR)is an economical and eco-friendly method for converting industrial wastewater into valuable ammonia under atmospheric conditions.The main challenge lies in designing and developing highly durable ENR electrocatalysts.This study introduces defect-rich mesoporous CuO_(x) nanowires electrocatalyst synthesized using a novel solution-flame(sol-flame)hybrid method to control mesoporosity and introduce surface defects,thereby enhancing the electrochemical nitrate-toammonia production performance.We found surface defects(oxygen vacancies and Cu^(+))and unique mesoporous nanowire structure composed of tightly interconnected nanoparticles.The sol-flamesynthesized CuO_(x) nanowires(sf-CuO NWs)achieved superior ammonia yield rate(0.51 mmol h^(-1)cm^(-2)),faradaic efficiency(97.3%),and selectivity(86.2%)in 1 M KOH electrolyte(2000 ppm nitrate).This performance surpasses that of non-porous and less-defective CuO NWs and is attributed to the increased surface area and rapid electron transport facilitated by the distinctive morphology and generated defects.Theoretical calculation further suggests oxygen vacancies enhance NO_(3)^(-)adsorption on the sf-CuO NWs’surface and mitigate the competing hydrogen evolution reaction.This study outlines a strategic design and simple synthesis approach for nanowire electrocatalysts that boost the efficiency of electrochemical nitrate-to-ammonia conversion.
