Issue 19, 2021

Boosting NH3 production from nitrate electroreduction via electronic structure engineering of Fe3C nanoflakes

Abstract

Clear structure–performance relationships are helpful for the design of efficient catalysts and the understanding of reaction mechanisms. The electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) offers a sustainable route to ammonia (NH3) synthesis and nitrate mitigation. However, it suffers from poor nitrate adsorption, low NH3 selectivity and sluggish reaction kinetics. Herein, N-doped carbon nanosheets supported Fe3C nanoflakes featuring large surface areas (860.024 m2 g−1) were prepared. Their NO3RR performances showed volcano-like relationships with the Fe3+/Fe2+ ratios and d-band centers. At −0.5 V, the NH3 yield, faradaic efficiency, selectivity and current density reached 1.19 mmol h−1 mg−1, 96.7%, 79.0% and 85.6 mA cm−2, respectively, exceeding most reported results. Such exceptional performances mainly originated from the optimized electronic structures that boosted nitrate adsorption and reaction kinetics (Tafel slope: 56.7 mV dec−1). Mechanistic investigations revealed a NO3 → NO2 → NH3 reaction pathway with the chemical process following the fast electron transfer process as the rate-determining step.

Graphical abstract: Boosting NH3 production from nitrate electroreduction via electronic structure engineering of Fe3C nanoflakes

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
31 میٔ 2021
Accepted
17 اگست 2021
First published
17 اگست 2021

Green Chem., 2021,23, 7594-7608

Boosting NH3 production from nitrate electroreduction via electronic structure engineering of Fe3C nanoflakes

Y. Wang, L. Zhang, Y. Niu, D. Fang, J. Wang, Q. Su and C. Wang, Green Chem., 2021, 23, 7594 DOI: 10.1039/D1GC01913A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements