Ampere‐Level Membrane‐Free Bipolar Ammonia Electrosynthesis with Faradaic Efficiency Exceeding 100% on a Surface‐Reconstructed NiFe‐Hydroxide
Abstract Awaking the force of materials for specific efficacy by precise electronic modulation remains a fundamental challenge in catalysis. Herein, we transform ordinary NiFe‐layered double hydroxide (NiFe‐LDH) into a high‐performance NO 3 − ‐to‐NH 3 electrocatalyst via cathodic electrochemical restructuring, which effectively induces oxygen vacancy (O v ) clusters preferentially localized around low‐valence Ni sites. The resultant restructured NiFe‐LDH (NiFe‐LDH‐R) demonstrates excellent concentration‐universal NH 3 electrosynthesis activity in 1 M KOH, notably sustaining high Faradaic efficiencies (FEs, 88.5%–95%) across a broad potential range and attaining an ampere‐level current density (−1.46 A cm −2 ) together with a remarkable yield rate of 104.1 mg NH3 h −1 cm −2 . In situ spectroscopic analyses reveal boosted hydrogenation kinetics and a thermodynamically favorable NOH pathway for NiFe‐LDH‐R, which is further decoded by theoretical calculations indicating that synergized O v /Fe and low‐valence Ni sites, respectively enhance NO 3 − adsorption and directional active hydrogen (*H) supply, thus streamlining overall energy barriers. Moreover, a new‐style membrane‐free bipolar electrosynthesis system is established, which enables unprecedent NH 3 FEs exceeding 100% and scalable NH 3 valorization into 4.1 g of methenamine. This study rekindles power of electrochemical restructuring in catalyst advance and pioneers a new paradigm for energy‐efficient electrochemical NH 3 production and fixation.
Authors
- Y. A. Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8164-4132)
- Shuwen Zhao
- Jing Mao
- Cheng‐You Lee
- Yanghua Li
- Lili Han
- Guangyu Chen
- Chi‐Feng Lee
- Yimeng Cai
- Hsiao‐Tsu Wang
- Linjie Zhang
Institutions
- Tamkang University (TW)
- Tianjin University of Technology (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie
- Published
- 2025-12-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.202521629
- Primary Topic
- Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00