Liquid Metal Dynamic Interface Enabled Reverse Hydrogen Spillover Boosting Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction

Abstract Electrochemical nitrate reduction (NO 3 − RR) to ammonia involves intricate and sluggish proton‐coupled electron transfer (PCET) pathways, the active hydrogen (H*) flux regulation are crucial for its efficiency. Here, we demonstrate a liquid metal‐based catalyst, Co@Ga, featuring a dynamic liquid Ga core–solid Co shell interface under operando conditions. This unique architecture enables an unprecedented reverse hydrogen spillover mechanism, where H* generated via facile water dissociation on liquid Ga support spontaneously migrates to adjacent metallic Co for efficient hydrogenation of adsorbed nitrate/intermediates. Moreover, the strong electron donation from Ga to Co also accelerates the rate‐determining NO 3 − → NO 2 − step through a three‐step relay mechanism. Consequently, the synergy of these effects endows Co@Ga with exceptional NO 3 − RR performance, achieving an ultra‐high NH 3 yield rate of 51 mol h −1 g Co −1 , Faraday efficiency of 94.5% at −0.3 V versus RHE, and outstanding stability over 400 h at 1 A cm −2 in a membrane electrode. This work presents the concept of dynamic liquid‐solid‐liquid interfaces for reversing conventional hydrogen spillover, offering a universal strategy to regulate multi‐proton/electron transfers in complex electrocatalytic reactions.

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Journal
Angewandte Chemie
Published
2025-10-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.202516997
Primary Topic
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
Type
article
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article

Liquid Metal Dynamic Interface Enabled Reverse Hydrogen Spillover Boosting Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction

Shenghua Ye, Xiaopeng Han, Yixiao Zou, Wei Zeng et al.
Angewandte Chemie
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
article

Liquid Metal Dynamic Interface Enabled Reverse Hydrogen Spillover Boosting Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction

Shenghua Ye, Xiaopeng Han, Yixiao Zou, Wei Zeng, Wenda Chen, Zanyu Chen, Jia Ding, Chen Zhang, Wenbin Hu
article en

Abstract

Abstract Electrochemical nitrate reduction (NO 3 − RR) to ammonia involves intricate and sluggish proton‐coupled electron transfer (PCET) pathways, the active hydrogen (H*) flux regulation are crucial for its efficiency. Here, we demonstrate a liquid metal‐based catalyst, Co@Ga, featuring a dynamic liquid Ga core–solid Co shell interface under operando conditions. This unique architecture enables an unprecedented reverse hydrogen spillover mechanism, where H* generated via facile water dissociation on liquid Ga support spontaneously migrates to adjacent metallic Co for efficient hydrogenation of adsorbed nitrate/intermediates. Moreover, the strong electron donation from Ga to Co also accelerates the rate‐determining NO 3 − → NO 2 − step through a three‐step relay mechanism. Consequently, the synergy of these effects endows Co@Ga with exceptional NO 3 − RR performance, achieving an ultra‐high NH 3 yield rate of 51 mol h −1 g Co −1 , Faraday efficiency of 94.5% at −0.3 V versus RHE, and outstanding stability over 400 h at 1 A cm −2 in a membrane electrode. This work presents the concept of dynamic liquid‐solid‐liquid interfaces for reversing conventional hydrogen spillover, offering a universal strategy to regulate multi‐proton/electron transfers in complex electrocatalytic reactions.

Angewandte ChemieVol. 138(4)
Tianjin University (CN), Shenzhen University (CN), Tianjin Energy Investment Group (China) (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 81%
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
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Liquid Metal Dynamic Interface Enabled Reverse Hydrogen Spillover Boosting Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction — Shenghua Ye, Xiaopeng Han, et al. · Angewandte Chemie (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS