Cu doping enhances electroreduction of nitrate to ammonia over NbS2 hierarchical nanosheets

Abstract

In this work, we developed a three-dimensional nanosheet-like Cu doped NbS2 structure (Cu-NbS2) that not only facilitates the exposure of more active sites on both the edges and basal planes but also increases the solid–liquid contact area between the catalyst and the electrolyte. Moreover, the distinct difference in adsorption energy between the Cu sites and NO3− reactants enhances the interaction between Cu and NO3−. Consequently, the Cu-NbS2 catalyst achieves a maximum Faradaic efficiency of 91.2% and an impressive NH3 yield rate of 230.9 μmol h−1 mg−1. This study provides a promising strategy for efficient nitrate remediation and environmentally friendly NH3 synthesis.