Two-dimensional electrocatalysts: recent innovations in the nitrate-to-ammonia conversion

IF 11 1区材料科学 Q1 MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Rare Metals Pub Date : 2025-07-08 DOI:10.1007/s12598-025-03361-4

Jia-Qiao Wang, Lin Gu, Zi-Yang Wu, Chang Wu, Shailendra-Kumar Sharma, Hui Xu, Jian-Ping Yang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Excessive nitrogen emission caused by human activities has significantly disrupted the global nitrogen cycle, adversely affecting ecosystems and human health. Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to valuable ammonia (eNRA) presents an encouraging alternative marked by mild reaction conditions, rapid reaction rates, and minimal byproduct pollution, successfully overcoming the challenges of the energy-intensive Haber–Bosch process. Recent innovations in two-dimensional (2D) electrocatalysts have emerged as a promising approach to enhance the efficiency and selectivity of this transformation. This review systematically examines the latest advancements in 2D materials, including metals, metal compounds, nonmetallic elements, and organic frameworks, highlighting their unique electronic properties and high surface area that facilitate the electrocatalytic reactions. We explore strategies to optimize these catalysts, such as doping, heterostructure, and surface functionalization, which have shown significant improvements in catalytic performance. Furthermore, the role of in situ/operando characterization techniques in understanding the reaction mechanisms is highlighted, aiming to provide both theoretical and practical insights for the research and development of 2D nano-electrocatalysts during eNRA. Additionally, future perspectives and ongoing challenges are discussed to offer insights for transitioning from experimental investigations to real-world applications.

Graphic abstract

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二维电催化剂：硝酸盐转化为氨的最新创新

人类活动造成的过量氮排放严重破坏了全球氮循环，对生态系统和人类健康产生了不利影响。电催化硝酸还原成有价氨（eNRA）是一种令人鼓舞的替代方法，其特点是反应条件温和，反应速度快，副产物污染少，成功地克服了能源密集型哈伯-博世工艺的挑战。最近二维（2D）电催化剂的创新已经成为提高这种转化效率和选择性的有希望的方法。本文系统地回顾了二维材料的最新进展，包括金属、金属化合物、非金属元素和有机框架，强调了它们独特的电子性质和高表面积，促进了电催化反应。我们探索了优化这些催化剂的策略，如掺杂、异质结构和表面功能化，这些策略已经显示出催化性能的显著改善。此外，还强调了原位/operando表征技术在理解反应机制中的作用，旨在为eNRA过程中二维纳米电催化剂的研究和开发提供理论和实践见解。此外，还讨论了未来的前景和当前的挑战，为从实验研究过渡到现实世界的应用提供了见解。图形抽象

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Rare Metals 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

12.10

自引率

12.50%

发文量

2919

审稿时长

2.7 months

期刊介绍： Rare Metals is a monthly peer-reviewed journal published by the Nonferrous Metals Society of China. It serves as a platform for engineers and scientists to communicate and disseminate original research articles in the field of rare metals. The journal focuses on a wide range of topics including metallurgy, processing, and determination of rare metals. Additionally, it showcases the application of rare metals in advanced materials such as superconductors, semiconductors, composites, and ceramics.