Constructing Cu-CuO heterostructured skin on Cu cubes to promote electrocatalytic ammonia production from nitrate wastewater

Zhao，Jie1,4; Shen，Zhen1,2; Yu，Jian3; Guo，Yue2; Mushtaq，Muhammad Asim4; Ding，Yangbin5; Song，Zhaoqi4; Zhang，Wei6; Huang，Xiang7; Li，Ying4; Liu，Dongqing8; Cai，Xingke1,4

2022-10-05

10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129653

JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS   Impact Factor & Quartile

0304-3894

1873-3336

Electroreducting nitrate (NO3-) into ammonia (NH3), i.e. NO3-RA, can not only relieve NO3- pollution but also produce high value-added NH3. Cu-based species have been taken as a promising catalyst for NO3- RA because of their relatively high Faradaic efficiency (FE), benefiting from the weak side hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, their NH3 yield rates are still unsatisfactory due to the multiple electron paths of NO3- RA. Herein, we report a Cu cube with Cu-CuO heterostructured skin, prepared by electrochemically induced reconstruction from a Cu2O cube. This novel Cu-based catalyst presents a mol-level NH3 yield rate of 3.17 mol h(-1) g(-1) ranking at the top level among non-noble metal catalysts and an ultrahigh FE of 98.7 %. These excellent performances attribute to the Cu-CuO heterostructured skin of Cu cubes, which has favorable energy for the hydrogenation of *NO to*NOH during the NO3-RA process and an unfavorable one for HER. For the NO3-removal of real river water, this novel Cu-based catalyst presents a high NO3-removal rate of 95.5 % after the NO3-RA test for 12 h, resulting in a lower NO3-concentration than the maximum residual amount of NO3-in drinking water limited by WHO and China. This study provides a feasible strategy by the electrochemical reconstruction method to prepare superior Cu-based electrocatalysts with mol-level NO3-RA performances for the purification of nitrate wastewater.

Electrochemical reconstruction Copper Nitrate electroreduction Ammonia production

SCI ; EI

English

Others

National Natural Science Foundation of China["52003163","52000163"] ; Science and Technology Innovation Commission of Shenzhen["KQTD20170810105439418","20200812112006001"] ; Shenzhen University -Taipei University of Science and Technology Collaboration Project["2022005","2022015"] ; Nanjing University[202002B076]

Engineering ; Environmental Sciences & Ecology

Engineering, Environmental ; Environmental Sciences

WOS:000835662000008

ELSEVIER

20223012419557

Ammonia ; Copper oxides ; Electrocatalysts ; Electrolytic reduction ; Geometry ; Potable water ; Precious metals ; River pollution

Water Resources:444 ; Water Pollution:453 ; Ore Treatment:533.1 ; Precious Metals:547.1 ; Chemical Reactions:802.2 ; Chemical Agents and Basic Industrial Chemicals:803 ; Inorganic Compounds:804.2 ; Mathematics:921

ENGINEERING

2-s2.0-85134830687

Web of Science

1.College of Civil and Transportation Engineering,Shenzhen University,Shenzhen,518060,China
2.School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering,Nanjing University,Nanjing,210023,China
3.Research Institute of Aero-Engine,Beihang University,Beijing,100191,China
4.Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS),Shenzhen University,Shenzhen,518060,China
5.Department of Materials Chemistry,Huzhou University,Huzhou,313000,China
6.School of Ecology and Environment Science,Zhengzhou University,Zhengzhou,450001,China
7.Department of Physics,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China
8.College of Mechatronics and Control Engineering,Shenzhen University,Shenzhen,518060,China

Zhao，Jie,Shen，Zhen,Yu，Jian,et al. Constructing Cu-CuO heterostructured skin on Cu cubes to promote electrocatalytic ammonia production from nitrate wastewater[J]. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS,2022,439.

Zhao，Jie.,Shen，Zhen.,Yu，Jian.,Guo，Yue.,Mushtaq，Muhammad Asim.,...&Cai，Xingke.(2022).Constructing Cu-CuO heterostructured skin on Cu cubes to promote electrocatalytic ammonia production from nitrate wastewater.JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS,439.

Zhao，Jie,et al."Constructing Cu-CuO heterostructured skin on Cu cubes to promote electrocatalytic ammonia production from nitrate wastewater".JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 439(2022).