Synergistic Effect of Ni/Ni(OH) 2 Core‐Shell Catalyst Boosts Tandem Nitrate Reduction for Ampere‐Level Ammonia Production

Abstract Electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate to ammonia provides a green alternate to the Haber–Bosch method, yet it suffers from sluggish kinetics and a low yield rate. The nitrate reduction follows a tandem reaction of nitrate reduction to nitrite and subsequent nitrite hydrogenation to generate ammonia, and the ammonia Faraday efficiency (FE) is limited by the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction. Herein, we design a heterostructure catalyst to remedy the above issues, which consists of Ni nanosphere core and Ni(OH) 2 nanosheet shell (Ni/Ni(OH) 2 ). In situ Raman spectroscopy reveals Ni and Ni(OH) 2 are interconvertible according to the applied potential, facilitating the cascade nitrate reduction…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Award: 22179098