Development of a heterojunction catalyst improves ammonia synthesis efficiency via nitrate reduction, suggesting a sustainable solution for nitrate pollution.
Electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO 3 RR) offers a sustainable approach to convert nitrate pollutants into ammonia (NH 3 ). However, challenges such as low NH 3 yield, competition from the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and limited nitrate adsorption restrict its efficiency. Here, we developed CuO/Co 3 O 4 heterojunction catalysts with strong interfacial coupling that synergistically modulate the electronic structure to promote efficient electron transfer. This enhances nitrate adsorption and activation while suppressing HER by accelerating active hydrogen species formation. The catalyst demonstrated a high Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 94.58%, accompanied by an NH 3 production rate of 2306.44 µmol h −1 mg −1 . Notably, it exhibited exceptional durability.
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Song et al. (2026) studied this question.
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