Atomic coordination environment engineering of bimetallic alloy nanostructures for efficient ammonia electrosynthesis from nitrate

作者：Wang, Yunhao; Sun, Mingzi; Zhou, Jingwen; Xiong, Yuecheng; Zhang, Qinghua; Ye, Chenliang; Wang, Xixi; Lu, Pengyi; Feng, Tianyi; Hao, Fengkun; Liu, Fu; Wang, Juan; Ma, Yangbo; Yin, Jinwen; Chu, Shengqi^*; Gu, Lin^*; Huang, Bolong^*; Fan, Zhanxi^*

来源：PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 2023, 120(32): e2306461120.

DOI：10.1073/pnas.2306461120

• Ultrathin metal nanostructures
• atomic coordination environment
• electrochemical nitrate
• reduction reaction
• ammonia synthesis
• nitrogen cycle

Electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) to ammonia has been regarded as a promising strategy to balance the global nitrogen cycle. However, it still suffers from poor Faradaic efficiency (FE) and limited yield rate for ammonia production on heterogeneous electrocatalysts, especially in neutral solutions. Herein, we report one pot synthesis of ultrathin nanosheet-assembled RuFe nanoflowers with low-coordinated Ru sites to enhance NO3RR performances in neutral electrolyte. Significantly, RuFe nanoflowers exhibit outstanding ammonia FE of 92.9% and yield rate of 38.68 mg h(-1) mgcat-1(64.47 mg h(-1) mgRu(-1)) at -0.30 and -0.65 V (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode), respectively. Experimental studies and theoretical calculations reveal that RuFe nano flowers with low-coordinated Ru sites are highly electroactive with an increased d band center to guarantee efficient electron transfer, leading to low energy barriers of nitrate reduction. The demonstration of rechargeable zinc-nitrate batteries with large-specific capacity using RuFe nanoflowers indicates their great potential in next-generation electrochemical energy systems.

• 单位
  中国科学院; 清华大学