Tuning Active Hydrogen via Spillover Enables the Wide‐Potential Electrochemical Reduction of Nitrate to Ammonia

The electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO<sub>3</sub>RR) offers a sustainable route for green ammonia synthesis under ambient conditions. However, achieving high NH<sub>3</sub> selectivity across a broad potential window, which is crucial for integration with fluctuating renewable energy sources, remains challenging due to difficulties in precisely controlling the active hydrogen supply. Herein, a hydrogen spillover strategy is presented to address this challenge by optimizing hydrogen activity. This strategy is realized using a Pt nanoparticle decorated nanoporous Co<sub>2</sub>P (Pt/np-Co<sub>2</sub>P) catalyst. In situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, density functional theory calculations, and a suite of control experiments reveal that Pt nanoparticles generate active hydrogen, which migrates via the spillover pathway to hydrogenate *NO on Co<sub>2</sub>P. This process significantly lowers both thermodynamic and kinetic barriers for *NO hydrogenation. As a result, the Pt/np-Co<sub>2</sub>P catalyst maintains a Faradaic efficiency (FE) above 90% across a wide 600 mV potential window by ensuring sufficient *H availability at low overpotentials and suppressing the competing hydrogen evolution reaction at high overpotentials. The FE approaches 100% at an industrially relevant current density of ≈1 A cm<sup>-2</sup>. Similar performance enhancements observed for other noble metal-decorated np-Co<sub>2</sub>P confirm the universality of hydrogen spillover strategy for designing efficient catalysts toward practical ammonia synthesis.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2025-12-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202518272
Citations
4
Primary Topic
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.56

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article

Tuning Active Hydrogen via Spillover Enables the Wide‐Potential Electrochemical Reduction of Nitrate to Ammonia

Jiewen Xiao, Longfei Guo, Hui Jiang, Zhenduo Cui et al.
4 citations
Advanced Materials
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
1.56
article

Tuning Active Hydrogen via Spillover Enables the Wide‐Potential Electrochemical Reduction of Nitrate to Ammonia

Jiewen Xiao, Longfei Guo, Hui Jiang, Zhenduo Cui, Yanqin Liang, Xue Zhou, Aoni Xu, Minghao Sun, Hai‐Bin Yu, Fengwang Li, Wei Zhang, Zhaoyang Li, Shengli Zhu, Yang Yu, Zhonghui Gao, Jialei Huang, Wence Xu
article en
4 citations

Abstract

The electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO<sub>3</sub>RR) offers a sustainable route for green ammonia synthesis under ambient conditions. However, achieving high NH<sub>3</sub> selectivity across a broad potential window, which is crucial for integration with fluctuating renewable energy sources, remains challenging due to difficulties in precisely controlling the active hydrogen supply. Herein, a hydrogen spillover strategy is presented to address this challenge by optimizing hydrogen activity. This strategy is realized using a Pt nanoparticle decorated nanoporous Co<sub>2</sub>P (Pt/np-Co<sub>2</sub>P) catalyst. In situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, density functional theory calculations, and a suite of control experiments reveal that Pt nanoparticles generate active hydrogen, which migrates via the spillover pathway to hydrogenate *NO on Co<sub>2</sub>P. This process significantly lowers both thermodynamic and kinetic barriers for *NO hydrogenation. As a result, the Pt/np-Co<sub>2</sub>P catalyst maintains a Faradaic efficiency (FE) above 90% across a wide 600 mV potential window by ensuring sufficient *H availability at low overpotentials and suppressing the competing hydrogen evolution reaction at high overpotentials. The FE approaches 100% at an industrially relevant current density of ≈1 A cm<sup>-2</sup>. Similar performance enhancements observed for other noble metal-decorated np-Co<sub>2</sub>P confirm the universality of hydrogen spillover strategy for designing efficient catalysts toward practical ammonia synthesis.

Advanced MaterialsVol. 38(9)
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (AU), The University of Sydney (AU), Tianjin University (CN)
Australian Government, University of Sydney, National Natural Science Foundation of China, China Scholarship Council
Openalex Percentile: Top 16%
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
1.56
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