Boosting Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia by Fe Doped CuO/Co3O4 Nanosheet/Nanowire Heterostructures

Abstract

The electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO3−RR) is a novel green method for ammonia synthesis. The development of outstanding NO3−RR performance is based on reasonable catalyst. Metal oxides have garnered significant attention due to their exceptional electrical conductivity and catalytic properties. Doping serves as an effective strategy for enhancing catalyst performance due to its ability to change the electron cloud distribution and energy levels. In this study, we develop a heterojunction catalyst Fe doped copper oxide nanosheet and cobalt tetroxide nanowire growing on carbon cloth simultaneously (Fe‐CuO@Co3O4/CC) via hydrothermal method. The well‐designed Fe‐CuO@Co3O4/CC has excellent NH3 yield (470.9 μmol h–1 cm–2) and Faraday efficiency (FE: 84.4%) at –1.2 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (vs. RHE). The heterostructure increases the specific surface area of the catalyst, and the possibility of contact between the catalyst and NO3– ions, enhances the catalytic efficiency. In addition, the catalyst has excellent stability and can stably carry out the electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO3−RR), which provides a way for further research on the high‐efficiency reduction of nitrate.