Electroreduction of Nitrate to Ammonia on Palladium-Cobalt-Oxygen Nanowire Arrays

Developing high-efficiency electrocatalysts for the selective reduction of nitrate to valuable ammonia is of great significance. Herein, Pd-PdO-modified Co(3)O(4 )nanowire arrays on nickel foam (PdCoO/NF) are fabricated by a facile cation-exchange reaction. Pd and PdO can facilitate the generation of adsorbed hydrogen, and abundant oxygen vacancies can promote nitrate activation. Therefore, the PdCoO/NF exhibits a superior nitrate conversion rate (89.3%), Faradaic efficiency (88.6%), and ammonium selectivity (95.3%) at -1.3 V versus a saturated calomel electrode. The source of the produced ammonia is confirmed by N-15 isotope labeling experiments and H-1 magnetic resonance. This presented synthetic method provides a powerful strategy for the preparation of nanowire arrays with controllable compositions for selective nitrate electroreduction to ammonia.

Automated summary

A Pd-PdO-modified Co(3)O(4) nanowire array with excellent catalytic performance for the selective reduction of nitrate to ammonia has been successfully fabricated. This research provides an effective strategy for the preparation of nanowire arrays with controllable compositions for selective nitrate electroreduction to ammonia.