Dispersed Nickel on Gallium Liquid Metal for Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia
The pursuit of novel catalysts for efficient green ammonia production has sparked immense research endeavors. Liquid metal alloys featuring atomically dispersed active sites have emerged as a particularly promising class of catalysts. Here, we report a liquid metal alloy catalyst featuring highly dispersed nickel atoms embedded within a gallium matrix. This Ni–Ga alloy exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic activity for nitrate reduction to ammonia (NO 3 RR), achieving a Faradaic efficiency exceeding 99% at −0.18 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) in alkaline conditions (pH = 13). The reaction mechanism has been fundamentally investigated using density functional theory, confirming that the Ni sites on the Ni–Ga alloy surface promote an enhanced reaction pathway. Remarkably, the catalyst demonstrates spontaneous nitrate‐to‐ammonia activity and exhibits potential for long‐term operational stability.
Authors
- Ali Zavabeti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5860-8938)
- Chao Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6540-647X)
- Longbing Qu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9725-2738)
- Jining Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4542-198X)
- Dingqi Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9955-100X)
- Lei Dong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8759-3130)
- Jianan He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2497-6232)
- Gang Kevin Li
- Xing Zhi
Institutions
- Guangdong University of Technology (CN)
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- Riga Technical University (LV)
- MIT University (MK)
- RMIT University (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small Structures
- Published
- 2026-02-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202500762
- Primary Topic
- Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Australian National Fabrication Facility
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
- Australian Synchrotron
- RMIT University
- University of Melbourne
- Guangdong University of Technology