High single-pass conversion of nitrous oxide to dinitrogen in gas-diffusion-electrolyzer
Electrocatalytic N<sub>2</sub>O reduction reaction offers a sustainable solution of converting greenhouse gas N<sub>2</sub>O to N<sub>2</sub> under ambient conditions, but achieving high single-pass conversion remains challenging. Here, we present a gas-diffusion-electrolyzer system with copper-silver bimetallic nanoalloy serving as the catalyst for efficient N<sub>2</sub>O reduction, realizing a single-pass conversion rate of 79.4% and a decomposition rate of 1381.7 μmol h<sup>-1</sup> mg<sub>cat</sub><sup>-1</sup> for 10 vol.% N<sub>2</sub>O. Computational fluid dynamics simulation shows that the system optimizes gas flow regime and reduces diffusion distance compared to batch system, ensuring a uniform N<sub>2</sub>O distribution over cathode surface. The combination of Ag with Cu synergistically facilitates the adsorption, hydrogenation, and cleavage of the N-O bond in N<sub>2</sub>O. Techno-economic assessment indicates the levelized N<sub>2</sub>O decomposition cost varies between 1.66-2.14 US$ kg<sup>-1</sup>. Our findings underscore the substantial potential and practical viability of electrocatalytic N<sub>2</sub>O decomposition.
Authors
- Zhongbiao Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0182-5971)
- Xuanhao Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6177-6089)
- Zhe Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6428-1222)
- Jia Yuan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2553-5987)
Institutions
- Zhejiang Technical Institute of Economics (CN)
- Zhejiang Environmental Monitoring Center (CN)
- Zhejiang University of Technology (CN)
- Zhejiang University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-12-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67244-z
- Primary Topic
- Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province