Overcoming the *H‐NO x Coupling Bottleneck via Palladium‐Enabled Relay Catalysis on CuCo 2 O 4 Toward Ampere‐Level Nitrate‐to‐Ammonia

ABSTRACT Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO 3 RR) represents a sustainable route for both ammonia (NH 3 ) production and nitrate‐contaminated water remediation, yet its practical application is crippled by the kinetically sluggish multi‐electron/proton transfer and insufficient targeted active hydrogen (*H) supply. Herein, a Pd‐doped CuCo 2 O 4 (Pd‐CuCo 2 O 4 ) hollow spiny microsphere catalyst is designed to tackle this challenge via a synergistic relay catalysis mechanism coupled with rapid *H replenishment. Kinetics studies and theoretical calculations collectively demonstrate a clear tandem pathway for NH 3 synthesis: NO 3 − is preferentially reduced to NO 2 − on Cu sites, and then migrates to neighboring Co sites for further conversion to NH 3 . Crucially, the incorporated Pd dopants promote NO 3 − adsorption on Cu sites and *H generation on Co sites precisely. The efficient *H supply and co‐adsorption for intermediates eliminates the intrinsic kinetic bottleneck of poor *H‐NO x coupling, ensuring the tandem catalysis proceeds smoothly without interruption. Benefiting from the *H‐spillover boosted relay mechanism, an ultra‐high current density over −2.0 A cm −2 and a remarkable NH 3 yield rate of 100.43 mg h −1 cm −2 are achieved. This study underscores the synergistic interplay among the three active sites and provides a blueprint for designing high‐rate, practical NO 3 RR electrocatalysts.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Science
Published
2026-10-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.78576
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

Overcoming the *H‐NO x Coupling Bottleneck via Palladium‐Enabled Relay Catalysis on CuCo 2 O 4 Toward Ampere‐Level Nitrate‐to‐Ammonia

Zixuan Feng, Yuhuan Cui, Yitong Zhou, Gao Y et al.
Advanced Science
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
article

Overcoming the *H‐NO x Coupling Bottleneck via Palladium‐Enabled Relay Catalysis on CuCo 2 O 4 Toward Ampere‐Level Nitrate‐to‐Ammonia

Zixuan Feng, Yuhuan Cui, Yitong Zhou, Gao Y, Zhili Wang, Yuxuan Li, Jingyao Guo, Yingying Xu, Yao Liu
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO 3 RR) represents a sustainable route for both ammonia (NH 3 ) production and nitrate‐contaminated water remediation, yet its practical application is crippled by the kinetically sluggish multi‐electron/proton transfer and insufficient targeted active hydrogen (*H) supply. Herein, a Pd‐doped CuCo 2 O 4 (Pd‐CuCo 2 O 4 ) hollow spiny microsphere catalyst is designed to tackle this challenge via a synergistic relay catalysis mechanism coupled with rapid *H replenishment. Kinetics studies and theoretical calculations collectively demonstrate a clear tandem pathway for NH 3 synthesis: NO 3 − is preferentially reduced to NO 2 − on Cu sites, and then migrates to neighboring Co sites for further conversion to NH 3 . Crucially, the incorporated Pd dopants promote NO 3 − adsorption on Cu sites and *H generation on Co sites precisely. The efficient *H supply and co‐adsorption for intermediates eliminates the intrinsic kinetic bottleneck of poor *H‐NO x coupling, ensuring the tandem catalysis proceeds smoothly without interruption. Benefiting from the *H‐spillover boosted relay mechanism, an ultra‐high current density over −2.0 A cm −2 and a remarkable NH 3 yield rate of 100.43 mg h −1 cm −2 are achieved. This study underscores the synergistic interplay among the three active sites and provides a blueprint for designing high‐rate, practical NO 3 RR electrocatalysts.

Advanced Science
Anhui University (CN), Jilin University (CN), Hebei University (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 36%
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.

Laika access coming soon
Overcoming the *H‐NO x Coupling Bottleneck via Palladium‐Enabled Relay Catalysis on CuCo 2 O 4 Toward Ampere‐Level Nitrate‐to‐Ammonia — Zixuan Feng, Yuhuan Cui, et al. · Advanced Science (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS