Axially Wired Single‐Site Catalyst Enabled Ampere‐Level Electrocatalytic Ammonia Synthesis From Nitrate

Abstract Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction (NO 3 RR) demonstrates great potential for energy‐efficient ammonia (NH 3 ) synthesis with a low carbon footprint. However, industrial‐level ammonia production is currently limited owing to the insufficient supply of active hydrogen (H * ) from water due to sluggish water‐reductive dissociation at catalytic sites. Inspired by the lysine‐coordinated haem of cytochrome c nitrite reductase, a catalytic architecture is developed through the covalently wiring of iron phthalocyanine (FePc) with carbon nanotubes (CNT) via a pyridine linker. This axially coordinated single‐atom iron catalyst (ACCs‐Fe) achieved an unprecedented NH 3 yield rate of 367.39 mol g cat −1 h −1 and an optimal ammonia Faradaic efficiency (FE) of ≈100%. Through combined in situ spectroscopic characterisation and theoretical calculations, it is demonstrated that the exceptional NO 3 RR performance originated from the pyridine axial coordination‐induced electronic modulation, which simultaneously enhanced water dissociation kinetics (ensuring H * supply) and promoted H * transfer to nitrate/intermediate (enabling deep hydrogenation). This study pioneers the use of axial coordination to accelerate the water‐reductive activation to H * , offering a novel strategy for improving the efficiency of H * ‐mediated NO 3 RR.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Functional Materials
Published
2025-12-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202525958
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.39
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article

Axially Wired Single‐Site Catalyst Enabled Ampere‐Level Electrocatalytic Ammonia Synthesis From Nitrate

Lei Wu, Jincai Zhao, Xingmiao Huang, Wenjing Song et al.
1 citations
Advanced Functional Materials
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
0.39
article

Axially Wired Single‐Site Catalyst Enabled Ampere‐Level Electrocatalytic Ammonia Synthesis From Nitrate

Lei Wu, Jincai Zhao, Xingmiao Huang, Wenjing Song, Chuncheng Chen, Hua Sheng, Siqin Liu, Ran Duan, Xi Wang, Hongwei Ji
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Abstract Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction (NO 3 RR) demonstrates great potential for energy‐efficient ammonia (NH 3 ) synthesis with a low carbon footprint. However, industrial‐level ammonia production is currently limited owing to the insufficient supply of active hydrogen (H * ) from water due to sluggish water‐reductive dissociation at catalytic sites. Inspired by the lysine‐coordinated haem of cytochrome c nitrite reductase, a catalytic architecture is developed through the covalently wiring of iron phthalocyanine (FePc) with carbon nanotubes (CNT) via a pyridine linker. This axially coordinated single‐atom iron catalyst (ACCs‐Fe) achieved an unprecedented NH 3 yield rate of 367.39 mol g cat −1 h −1 and an optimal ammonia Faradaic efficiency (FE) of ≈100%. Through combined in situ spectroscopic characterisation and theoretical calculations, it is demonstrated that the exceptional NO 3 RR performance originated from the pyridine axial coordination‐induced electronic modulation, which simultaneously enhanced water dissociation kinetics (ensuring H * supply) and promoted H * transfer to nitrate/intermediate (enabling deep hydrogenation). This study pioneers the use of axial coordination to accelerate the water‐reductive activation to H * , offering a novel strategy for improving the efficiency of H * ‐mediated NO 3 RR.

Advanced Functional Materials
Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Institute of Chemistry (CN), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 35%
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
0.39
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