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.

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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

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article

Dispersed Nickel on Gallium Liquid Metal for Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia

Ali Zavabeti, Chao Wu, Longbing Qu, Jining Guo et al.
Small Structures
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
article

Dispersed Nickel on Gallium Liquid Metal for Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia

Ali Zavabeti, Chao Wu, Longbing Qu, Jining Guo, Dingqi Wang, Lei Dong, Jianan He, Gang Kevin Li, Xing Zhi
article en

Abstract

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.

Small StructuresVol. 7(2)
Guangdong University of Technology (CN), The University of Melbourne (AU), Riga Technical University (LV), MIT University (MK), RMIT University (AU)
Australian National Fabrication Facility, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Australian Synchrotron, RMIT University, University of Melbourne, Guangdong University of Technology
Openalex Percentile: Top 69%
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
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