In Situ Reconstructed Core–Shell Fe‐MOF@Cu as a Tandem Electrocatalyst toward Nitrate Electroreduction to Ammonia

ABSTRACT Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction enables sustainable ammonia production and simultaneous nitrate pollutant abatement. Yet its multi‐step proton‐coupled electron transfer mechanism is hindered by slow reaction kinetics. Herein, we report a reconstructed tandem catalyst, Fe‐MOFs@Cu, generated through the in situ electrochemical transformation of a designed MIL‐101(Fe)@HKUST‐1 core–shell precursor. Under nitrate reduction conditions, the HKUST‐1 shell is selectively converted into Cu species, whereas the MIL‐101(Fe) core remains largely preserved, resulting in a reconstructed Cu/Fe heterointerface with spatially integrated active domains. Electrochemical and kinetic analyses reveal a clear functional differentiation between the two catalytic components. Cu‐rich domains preferentially promote nitrate activation to nitrite, while Fe‐based sites facilitate water activation and the subsequent hydrogenation of nitrite to ammonia. The close interfacial coupling between these domains enables efficient intermediate conversion and hydrogen utilization, thereby suppressing nitrite accumulation and competing hydrogen evolution. Benefiting from this cooperative catalytic architecture, R‐MIL‐101(Fe)@Cu achieves an NH 3 yield rate of 0.61 mmol h −1 cm −2 with a Faradaic efficiency of 94.9% at −0.5 V vs. RHE, together with excellent operational stability. This work demonstrates how precursor architecture can be deliberately engineered to direct electrochemical reconstruction toward catalytically favorable interfaces for complex multistep electrochemical transformations.

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Publication Details

Journal
Small
Published
2026-11-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.76525
Primary Topic
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
Type
article
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article

In Situ Reconstructed Core–Shell Fe‐MOF@Cu as a Tandem Electrocatalyst toward Nitrate Electroreduction to Ammonia

Yuting Zhang, Sifei Zhuo, Qianqian Wang, Jiahao Ma et al.
Small
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
article

In Situ Reconstructed Core–Shell Fe‐MOF@Cu as a Tandem Electrocatalyst toward Nitrate Electroreduction to Ammonia

Yuting Zhang, Sifei Zhuo, Qianqian Wang, Jiahao Ma, Yunpei Zhu, Qiuyu Zhang
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction enables sustainable ammonia production and simultaneous nitrate pollutant abatement. Yet its multi‐step proton‐coupled electron transfer mechanism is hindered by slow reaction kinetics. Herein, we report a reconstructed tandem catalyst, Fe‐MOFs@Cu, generated through the in situ electrochemical transformation of a designed MIL‐101(Fe)@HKUST‐1 core–shell precursor. Under nitrate reduction conditions, the HKUST‐1 shell is selectively converted into Cu species, whereas the MIL‐101(Fe) core remains largely preserved, resulting in a reconstructed Cu/Fe heterointerface with spatially integrated active domains. Electrochemical and kinetic analyses reveal a clear functional differentiation between the two catalytic components. Cu‐rich domains preferentially promote nitrate activation to nitrite, while Fe‐based sites facilitate water activation and the subsequent hydrogenation of nitrite to ammonia. The close interfacial coupling between these domains enables efficient intermediate conversion and hydrogen utilization, thereby suppressing nitrite accumulation and competing hydrogen evolution. Benefiting from this cooperative catalytic architecture, R‐MIL‐101(Fe)@Cu achieves an NH 3 yield rate of 0.61 mmol h −1 cm −2 with a Faradaic efficiency of 94.9% at −0.5 V vs. RHE, together with excellent operational stability. This work demonstrates how precursor architecture can be deliberately engineered to direct electrochemical reconstruction toward catalytically favorable interfaces for complex multistep electrochemical transformations.

Small
Northwestern Polytechnical University (CN), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (SA)
Openalex Percentile: Top 37%
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
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In Situ Reconstructed Core–Shell Fe‐MOF@Cu as a Tandem Electrocatalyst toward Nitrate Electroreduction to Ammonia — Yuting Zhang, Sifei Zhuo, et al. · Small (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS