FeIr Alloy Optimizes the Trade‐Off Between Nitrate Reduction and Active Hydrogen Generation for Efficient Electro‐Synthesis of Ammonia in Neutral Media

Abstract Electrochemically promoted nitrate reduction reaction (NITRR) holds great potential for the “green” synthesis of ammonia (NH 3 ). However, NITRR in neutral media, though close to the practical scenario, is often limited by an insufficient supply of active hydrogen (*H) due to sluggish water cleavage. In this work, it is demonstrated that a bimetallic alloy FeIr can optimize the trade‐off between nitrate reduction and *H formation in neutral media. As a result, FeIr exhibits excellent catalytic performance toward neutral NITRR with a Faradaic efficiency of NH 3 up to 97.3% and a high yield rate up to 11.67 mg h −1 cm −2 at a low working potential of −0.6 V (versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)), surpassing the monometallic catalysts as well as the majority of Fe‐based state‐of‐the‐art. It is also found that the FeIr displays remarkable electron rearrangement between hetero‐atoms due to their significant orbital hybridization, which benefits not only the *H formation but also the NITRR process. Moreover, coupling FeIr‐based NITRR with methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) results in sustainable productions of NH 3 and formate with a combined FE of nearly 200% at a cell‐voltage of 2 V. This work thus demonstrates a promising strategy for designing efficient catalysts toward neutral NITRR.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Functional Materials
Published
2025-02-10
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202423705
Citations
12
Primary Topic
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
4.67

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article

FeIr Alloy Optimizes the Trade‐Off Between Nitrate Reduction and Active Hydrogen Generation for Efficient Electro‐Synthesis of Ammonia in Neutral Media

Lai Feng, Botao Zhu, Kaixuan You, Likun Jiang et al.
12 citations
Advanced Functional Materials
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
4.67
article

FeIr Alloy Optimizes the Trade‐Off Between Nitrate Reduction and Active Hydrogen Generation for Efficient Electro‐Synthesis of Ammonia in Neutral Media

Lai Feng, Botao Zhu, Kaixuan You, Likun Jiang, Xiaohong Li, Jie Xiong, Shujie Huang, Shuo Wu
article en
12 citations

Abstract

Abstract Electrochemically promoted nitrate reduction reaction (NITRR) holds great potential for the “green” synthesis of ammonia (NH 3 ). However, NITRR in neutral media, though close to the practical scenario, is often limited by an insufficient supply of active hydrogen (*H) due to sluggish water cleavage. In this work, it is demonstrated that a bimetallic alloy FeIr can optimize the trade‐off between nitrate reduction and *H formation in neutral media. As a result, FeIr exhibits excellent catalytic performance toward neutral NITRR with a Faradaic efficiency of NH 3 up to 97.3% and a high yield rate up to 11.67 mg h −1 cm −2 at a low working potential of −0.6 V (versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)), surpassing the monometallic catalysts as well as the majority of Fe‐based state‐of‐the‐art. It is also found that the FeIr displays remarkable electron rearrangement between hetero‐atoms due to their significant orbital hybridization, which benefits not only the *H formation but also the NITRR process. Moreover, coupling FeIr‐based NITRR with methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) results in sustainable productions of NH 3 and formate with a combined FE of nearly 200% at a cell‐voltage of 2 V. This work thus demonstrates a promising strategy for designing efficient catalysts toward neutral NITRR.

Advanced Functional MaterialsVol. 35(27)
Soochow University (CN)
National Science Foundation, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Government of Jiangsu Province, Soochow University, Major Basic Research Project of the Natural Science Foundation of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions
Openalex Percentile: Top 5%
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
4.67
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