journal article·2026-01Open access

Embedded Fe‐Cu Pairs Enable Tandem Nitrate‐to‐Ammonia Electroreduction

Yuxiao Liu, Xia Zhang, Solmaz Feizpoor, Hsiao‐Chien Chen, Linfeng Li, Yunpeng Zuo, Shengji Tian, Mengni Liu, Wenyu Hu, Muhammad Humayun, Kaifu Huo, Chade Lv, Yuanjie Pang, Dingsheng Wang, Xin Wang, Chundong Wang

Advanced Materials· Volume 38· Issue 3

Abstract

Abstract Electrochemical nitrate reduction ( e ‐NO 3 RR) to ammonia (NH 3 ) represents a transformative technology that seamlessly integrates environmental remediation with resource regeneration. This approach is crucial for restoring equilibrium in the global nitrogen cycling, advancing green chemistry, and accelerating the transition toward a sustainable circular economy. However, under pH‐neutral conditions, the simultaneous occurrence of two competing reactions (Hydrogen Evolution Reaction and NO 3 RR) at the same active sites results in considerable interference, significantly limiting the catalytic efficiency and selectivity. Here a Fe‐Cu pair (Cu‐N 3 /Fe 3 ‐N 8 ) electrocatalyst is meticulously designed, achieving a NH 3 production rate of 18.83 mg∙h ‒1 ∙mg cat ‒1 at −0.65 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), accompanied with a Faradaic efficiency of 97.1%. This as‐prepared Fe‐Cu pair overcomes the limitations of conventional bimetallic catalysts, which typically rely on direct atomic coupling. The electron‐deficient region formed by Cu–N 3 enhances the adsorption of nitrate, while the electron‐rich domain generated by the Fe 3 –N 8 cluster facilitates the adsorption of nitrite and promotes water activation. The spatially separated charge gradient optimizes the adsorption energies of multi‐step reaction intermediates, thereby establishing a relay mechanism. The work provides valuable insights into the design of multi‐active‐site electrocatalysts and offers a promising approach to addressing critical challenges in nitrogen resource conversion.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction · Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques · Caching and Content Delivery

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

School of Integrated Circuits State Key Laboratory of New Textile Materials and Advanced Processing Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wuhan 430074 P. R. China

Dual Master Program in Nano‐Electronic Engineering and Design Chang Gung University Taoyuan 33302 Taiwan

Kidney Research Center Department of Nephrology Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou Taoyuan 33305 Taiwan

Department of Chemistry City University of Hong Kong Hong Kong 999077 P. R. China

MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Harbin Institute of Technology Harbin 150001 P. R. China

Department of Physics College of Science Shihezi University Xinjiang 832003 P. R. China

Department of Physics Southern University of Science and Technology Shenzhen 518055 P. R. China

Energy Water and Environment Lab College of Sciences and Humanities Prince Sultan University Riyadh 11586 Saudi Arabia

School of Optical and Electronic Information Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wuhan 430074 P. R. China

Department of Chemistry Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 P. R. China

Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China · National Natural Science Foundation of China · City University of Hong Kong

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