Site‐Specific Functioning of CuN 3 –PdS 3 Janus Dual‐Atom Sites Enable Near‐Unity Faradaic Efficiency for Nitrate Electroreduction to Ammonia

ABSTRACT Electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO 3 RR) using renewable electricity offers a carbon‐free and energy‐saving route to remediating nitrate‐polluted wastewater while producing ammonia (NH 3 ). However, conventional catalysts for NO 3 RR suffer from strong adsorption of NO x intermediates that hinders further hydrogenation, resulting in diminished selectivity and catalyst deactivation. Here we construct a Janus‐type CuN 3 −PdS 3 dual‐atom catalyst featuring N/S dual bridging, namely CuPd‐SNC, to enable decoupled NO x species adsorption and hydrogen supply for hydrogenation on Cu and Pd sites, respectively. Excitingly, CuPd‐SNC delivers a near‐unity Faradaic efficiency of 99.58% for NH 3 synthesis and a production rate of 1.34 mmol h −1 cm −2 . When integrated into a Zn–nitrate battery, CuPd‐SNC achieves a maximum power density of 13.0 mW cm −2 and demonstrates stable operation for >160 h. In situ spectroscopic and theoretical analyses reveal the site‐specific functionalities of the CuN 3 −PdS 3 Janus configuration, wherein Cu sites markedly enhance the adsorption/activation of NO x − intermediates, Pd sites enable continuous proton supply and reduce the energy barriers for multi‐step *NO x hydrogenation, while N/S dual bridges serve as a proton reservoir. These findings highlight the site‐specific but complementary functioning of dual‐atom catalysts in synergistically pushing the limit of conventional electrocatalysts, offering fundamental insights into the rational catalyst design for NH 3 synthesis.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Published
2026-09-08
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.1513379
Primary Topic
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Site‐Specific Functioning of CuN 3 –PdS 3 Janus Dual‐Atom Sites Enable Near‐Unity Faradaic Efficiency for Nitrate Electroreduction to Ammonia

Pengliang Sun, Ming Zhao, Xiong Zheng, Yinguang Chen et al.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
article

Site‐Specific Functioning of CuN 3 –PdS 3 Janus Dual‐Atom Sites Enable Near‐Unity Faradaic Efficiency for Nitrate Electroreduction to Ammonia

Pengliang Sun, Ming Zhao, Xiong Zheng, Yinguang Chen, Keying Su, Zhiheng Lyu, Tianli Wu, Min Bi, Xuan Yang, Wenbin Jiang, Ziyi Li, Jing Cao
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO 3 RR) using renewable electricity offers a carbon‐free and energy‐saving route to remediating nitrate‐polluted wastewater while producing ammonia (NH 3 ). However, conventional catalysts for NO 3 RR suffer from strong adsorption of NO x intermediates that hinders further hydrogenation, resulting in diminished selectivity and catalyst deactivation. Here we construct a Janus‐type CuN 3 −PdS 3 dual‐atom catalyst featuring N/S dual bridging, namely CuPd‐SNC, to enable decoupled NO x species adsorption and hydrogen supply for hydrogenation on Cu and Pd sites, respectively. Excitingly, CuPd‐SNC delivers a near‐unity Faradaic efficiency of 99.58% for NH 3 synthesis and a production rate of 1.34 mmol h −1 cm −2 . When integrated into a Zn–nitrate battery, CuPd‐SNC achieves a maximum power density of 13.0 mW cm −2 and demonstrates stable operation for >160 h. In situ spectroscopic and theoretical analyses reveal the site‐specific functionalities of the CuN 3 −PdS 3 Janus configuration, wherein Cu sites markedly enhance the adsorption/activation of NO x − intermediates, Pd sites enable continuous proton supply and reduce the energy barriers for multi‐step *NO x hydrogenation, while N/S dual bridges serve as a proton reservoir. These findings highlight the site‐specific but complementary functioning of dual‐atom catalysts in synergistically pushing the limit of conventional electrocatalysts, offering fundamental insights into the rational catalyst design for NH 3 synthesis.

Angewandte Chemie International Edition
National University of Singapore (SG), University of Alabama (US), Henan University (CN), State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse (CN), Advanced Energy Materials (United States) (US), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (CN)
Clean water and sanitation
Openalex Percentile: Top 29%
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.