Unveiling Cutting‐Edge Developments in Electrocatalytic Nitrate‐to‐Ammonia Conversion

Abstract

The excessive enrichment of nitrate in the environment can be converted into ammonia (NH3) through electrochemical processes, offering significant implications for modern agriculture and the potential to reduce the burden of the Haber‐Bosch (HB) process while achieving environmentally‐friendly NH3 production. Emerging research on electrocatalytic nitrate reduction (eNitRR) to NH3 has gained considerable momentum in recent years for efficient NH3 synthesis. However, existing reviews on nitrate reduction have primarily focused on limited aspects, often lacking a comprehensive summary of catalysts, reaction systems, reaction mechanisms, and detection methods employed in nitrate reduction. This review aims to provide a timely and comprehensive analysis of the eNitRR field by integrating existing research progress and identifying current challenges. This review offers a comprehensive overview of the research progress achieved using various materials in electrochemical nitrate reduction, elucidates the underlying theoretical mechanism behind eNitRR, and discusses effective strategies based on numerous case studies to enhance the electrochemical reduction from NO3˗ to NH3. Finally, this review discusses challenges and development prospects in the eNitRR field with an aim to guide design and development of large‐scale sustainable nitrate reduction electrocatalysts.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Recent progress in the advanced strategies, rational design, and engineering of electrocatalysts for nitrate reduction toward ammonia

“…NH 3 and N 2 are the most thermodynamically stable forms of N, particularly at a range of pH from 6 to 9. 17…”

Recent Progress and Perspectives on Transition Metal-Based Electrocatalysts for Efficient Nitrate Reduction

“…In existing studies, ,, in situ Raman spectroscopy has been used to detect truly active substances during electrochemical nitrate reduction under electrochemical conditions as well as in the presence of water. Additionally, in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) has been employed to provide a large amount of data on the chemical bonding, coordination number, and valence state of catalytically active substances to determine their species.…”

“…The study of electrocatalyst materials and structures is crucial for designing efficient electrocatalysts. Some reviews have summarized the transition metal elements used in electrochemical nitrate reduction, , the electrocatalytic mechanism fundamentals, catalyst design and construction strategies, , composition and properties of electrolytes, , and performance evaluation parameters of working electrodes . Few have systematically compared the influence and effects of different types of electrocatalysts and carrier materials.…”

Fe–CuP nanocubes for nitrate-to-ammonia conversion

“…This method is believed to be more environmentally friendly and efficient than the HBP as it directly converts H 2 O and N 2 into NH 3 . 7–9 However, the development of NRR for widespread applications faces challenges. These challenges include the limited solubility of N 2 , the high dissociation energy of NN (941 kJ mol −1 ), and the unavoidable competition with the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).…”