Unveiling the Activity Origin of a Copper-based Electrocatalyst for Selective Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia

Unveiling the active phase of catalytic materials under reaction conditions is important for the construction of efficient electrocatalysts for selective nitrate reduction to ammonia. The origin of the prominent activity enhancement for CuO (Faradaic efficiency: 95.8 %, Selectivity: 81.2 %) toward selective nitrate electroreduction to ammonia was probed. ¹⁵N isotope labeling experiments showed that ammonia originated from nitrate reduction. ¹H NMR spectroscopy and colorimetric methods were performed to quantify ammonia. In situ Raman and ex situ experiments revealed that CuO was electrochemically converted into Cu/Cu₂O, which serves as an active phase. The combined results of online differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) and DFT calculations demonstrated that the electron transfer from Cu₂O to Cu at the interface could facilitate the formation of *NOH intermediate and suppress the hydrogen evolution reaction, leading to high selectivity and Faradaic efficiency.     

Tuning C1/C2 Selectivity of CO2 Electrochemical Reduction over in-Situ Evolved CuO/SnO2 Heterostructure

Heterostructured oxides with versatile active sites, as a class of efficient catalysts for CO₂ electrochemical reduction (CO₂ER), are prone to undergo structure reconstruction under working conditions, thus bringing challenges to understanding the reaction mechanism and rationally designing catalysts. Herein, we for the first time elucidate the structural reconstruction of CuO/SnO₂ under electrochemical potentials and reveal the intrinsic relationship between CO₂ER product selectivity and the in situ evolved heterostructures. At −0.85 V_RHE, the CuO/SnO₂ evolves to Cu₂O/SnO₂ with high selectivity to HCOOH (Faradaic efficiency of 54.81 %). Mostly interestingly, it is reconstructed to Cu/SnO_2-x at −1.05 V_RHE with significantly improved Faradaic efficiency to ethanol of 39.8 %. In situ Raman spectra and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the synergetic absorption of *COOH and *CHOCO intermediates at the interface of Cu/SnO_2-x favors the formation of *CO and decreases the energy barrier of C−C coupling, leading to high selectivity to ethanol.     

Electrical Pulse-Driven Periodic Self-Repair of Cu-Ni Tandem Catalyst for Efficient Ammonia Synthesis from Nitrate

Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction sustainably produces ammonia and alleviates water pollution, yet is still challenging due to the kinetic mismatch and hydrogen evolution competition. Cu/Cu₂O heterojunction is proven effective to break the rate-determining NO₃⁻-to-NO₂⁻ step for efficient NH₃ conversion, while it is unstable due to electrochemical reconstruction. Here we report a programmable pulsed electrolysis strategy to achieve reliable Cu/Cu₂O structure, where Cu is oxidized to CuO during oxidation pulse, then regenerating Cu/Cu₂O upon reduction. Alloying with Ni further modulates hydrogen adsorption, which transfers from Ni/Ni(OH)₂ to N-containing intermediates on Cu/Cu₂O, promoting NH₃ formation with a high NO₃⁻-to-NH₃ Faraday efficiency (88.0±1.6 %, pH 12) and NH₃ yield rate (583.6±2.4 μmol cm⁻² h⁻¹) under optimal pulsed conditions. This work provides new insights to in situ electrochemically regulate catalysts for NO₃⁻-to-NH₃ conversion.     

Enhancing Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia over Cu Nanosheets via Facet Tandem Catalysis

Electrochemical conversion of nitrate (NO₃⁻) into ammonia (NH₃) represents a potential way for achieving carbon-free NH₃ production while balancing the nitrogen cycle. Herein we report a high-performance Cu nanosheets catalyst which delivers a NH₃ partial current density of 665 mA cm⁻² and NH₃ yield rate of 1.41 mmol h⁻¹ cm⁻² in a flow cell at −0.59 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode. The catalyst showed a high stability for 700 h with NH₃ Faradaic efficiency of ≈88 % at 365 mA cm⁻². In situ spectroscopy results verify that Cu nanosheets are in situ derived from the as-prepared CuO nanosheets under electrochemical NO₃⁻ reduction reaction conditions. Electrochemical measurements and density functional theory calculations indicate that the high performance is attributed to the tandem interaction of Cu(100) and Cu(111) facets. The NO₂⁻ generated on the Cu(100) facets is subsequently hydrogenated on the Cu(111) facets, thus the tandem catalysis promotes the crucial hydrogenation of *NO to *NOH for NH₃ production.     

Cu/活性炭催化剂：水合肼还原制备及催化甲醇氧化羰基化

以活性炭为载体,水合肼为还原剂制备了负载型Cu/活性炭催化剂,考察了水合肼/硝酸铜物质的量的比对催化甲醇气相氧化羰基化性能的影响,并采用XRD、XPS、H2-TPR和SEM等手段对催化剂进行了表征。结果表明,不加入还原剂水合肼时,催化剂中仅有CuO;随着水合肼/硝酸铜物质的量的比的增加,二价铜逐步被还原为Cu2O和/或单质Cu0,未被还原的Cu(OH)2在催化剂干燥过程中分解形成分散态CuO存在于催化剂表面。当水合肼/硝酸铜物质的量的比为0.75时,催化剂的催化性能最好,碳酸二甲酯的时空收率为120.62 mg.(g.h)-1,选择性为74.51%,甲醇转化率达到3.88%。在93 h反应时间内,催化剂都保持了较高的反应活性和选择性。此时铜物种以Cu2O和分散态CuO为主,Cu2O是主要的活性物种。     

Cu-loaded dealuminated Y zeolites active in selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia

The selective catalytic reduction of NO with ammonia in the presence of oxygen has been carried out on Cu-loaded dealuminated Y zeolite catalysts. Copper was introduced by the usual ion-exchange procedure with an aqueous solution of cupric acetate. On deeply dealuminated USY zeolites, Cu²⁺ was supported in the amount larger than 2Cu/Al = 2, resulting in the formation of CuO fine particles in addition to the isolated and dimer Cu²⁺ species. The specific catalytic activity per surface copper on the CuO particles was very high compared with these Cu²⁺ species. NO adsorption measurement revealed the higher dispersion of CuO on the deeply dealuminated USY than on SiO₂, which made Cu/USY a better catalyst for the reduction of NO. The reaction intermediates were investigated through the IR spectra of adsorbed species.     

Cu-loaded dealuminated Y zeolites active in selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia

The selective catalytic reduction of NO with ammonia in the presence of oxygen has been carried out on Cu-loaded dealuminated Y zeolite catalysts. Copper was introduced by the usual ion-exchange procedure with an aqueous solution of cupric acetate. On deeply dealuminated USY zeolites, Cu²⁺ was supported in the amount larger than 2Cu/Al=2, resulting in the formation of CuO fine particles in addition to the isolated and dimer Cu²⁺ species. The specific catalytic activity per surface copper on the CuO particles was very high compared with these Cu²⁺ species. NO adsorption measurement revealed the higher dispersion of CuO on the deeply dealuminated USY than on SiO₂, which made Cu/USY a better catalyst for the reduction of NO. The reaction intermediates were investigated through the IR spectra of adsorbed species.     

Reaction of imidazole in gas phase at very low pressure with Cu foil and Cu oxides studied by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The gas‐phase reactions of imidazole with Cu foil, CuO and Cu₂O powders at a pressure of 10^?5 Torr are studied by means of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) at room temperature for 1 h. The reactivity of gaseous imidazole is very intense with Cu foil, weak with CuO and nil with Cu₂O. The reaction product on the Cu foil is cuprous imidazolate of oligomeric nature and with CuO is cupric imidazolate of very low molecular weight. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Zeolite ZSM-5 containing copper ions: The effect of the copper salt anion and NH<Subscript>4</Subscript>OH/Cu<Superscript>2+</Superscript> ratio on the state of the copper ions and on the reactivity of the zeolite in DeNO<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>

Isotherms of copper cation sorption by H-ZSM-5 zeolite from aqueous and aqueous ammonia solutions of copper acetate, chloride, nitrate, and sulfate are considered in terms of Langmuir’s monomolecular adsorption model. Using UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, and temperatureprogrammed reduction with hydrogen and carbon monoxide, it has been demonstrated that the electronic state of the copper ions is determined by the ion exchange and heat treatment conditions. The state of the copper ions has an effect on the redox properties and reactivity of the Cu-ZSM-5 catalysts in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with propane and in N₂O decomposition. The amount of Cu²⁺ that is sorbed by zeolite H-ZSM-5 from aqueous solution and is stabilized as isolated Cu²⁺ cations in cationexchange sites of the zeolite depends largely on the copper salt anion. The quantity of Cu(II) cations sorbed from aqueous solutions of copper salts of strong acids is smaller than the quantity of the same cations sorbed from the copper acetate solution. When copper chloride or sulfate is used, the zeolite is modified by the chloride or sulfate anion. Because of the presence of these anions, the redox properties and nitrogen oxides removal (DeNO _x ) efficiency of the Cu-ZSM-5 catalysts prepared using the copper salts of strong acids are worse than the same characteristics of the sample prepared using the copper acetate solution. The addition of ammonia to the aqueous solutions of copper salts diminishes the copper salt anion effect on the amount of Cu(II) sorbed from these solutions and hampers the nonspecific sorption of anions on the zeolite surface. As a consequence, the redox and DeNO _x properties of Cu-ZSM-5 depend considerably on the NH₄OH/Cu²⁺ ratio in the solution used in ion exchange. The aqueous ammonia solutions of the copper salts with NH₄OH/Cu²⁺ = 6–10 stabilize, in the Cu-ZSM-5 structure, Cu²⁺ ions bonded with extraframework oxygen, which are more active in DeNO _x than isolated Cu²⁺ ions (which form at NH4OH/Cu2+ = 30) or nanosized CuO particles (which form at NH₄OH/Cu²⁺ = 3).     

Nitrite Electroreduction to Ammonia Promoted by Molecular Carbon Dioxide with Near-unity Faradaic Efficiency

Electrochemical reduction of nitrite (NO₂⁻) offers an energy-efficient route for ammonia (NH₃) synthesis and reduction of the level of nitrite, which is one of the major pollutants in water. However, the near 100 % Faradaic efficiency (FE) has yet to be achieved due to the complicated reduction route with several intermediates. Here, we report that carbon dioxide (CO₂) can enhance the nitrite electroreduction to ammonia on copper nanowire (Cu NW) catalysts. In a broad potential range (−0.7∼−1.3 V vs. RHE), the FE of nitrite to ammonia is close to 100 % with a 3.5-fold increase in activity compared to that obtained without CO_2. In situ Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that CO₂ acts as a catalyst to facilitate the *NO to *N step, which is the rate determining step for ammonia synthesis. The promotion effect of CO₂ can be expanded to electroreduction of other nitro-compounds, such as nitrate to ammonia and nitrobenzene to aniline.     

Wurtzite CuGaS2 with an In-Situ-Formed CuO Layer Photocatalyzes CO2 Conversion to Ethylene with High Selectivity

We present surface reconstruction-induced C−C coupling whereby CO₂ is converted into ethylene. The wurtzite phase of CuGaS_2. undergoes in situ surface reconstruction, leading to the formation of a thin CuO layer over the pristine catalyst, which facilitates selective conversion of CO₂ to ethylene (C₂H₄). Upon illumination, the catalyst efficiently converts CO₂ to C₂H₄ with 75.1 % selectivity (92.7 % selectivity in terms of R_electron) and a 20.6 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ evolution rate. Subsequent spectroscopic and microscopic studies supported by theoretical analysis revealed operando-generated Cu²⁺, with the assistance of existing Cu⁺, functioning as an anchor for the generated *CO and thereby facilitating C−C coupling. This study demonstrates strain-induced in situ surface reconstruction leading to heterojunction formation, which finetunes the oxidation state of Cu and modulates the CO₂ reduction reaction pathway to selective formation of ethylene.     

Oxidation of Ethanol in Cu-Faujasites Studied by IR Spectroscopy

In this study, IR studies of the coadsorption of ethanol and CO on Cu⁺ cations evidenced the transfer of electrons from ethanol to Cu⁺, which caused the lowering of the frequency of the band attributed to CO bonded to the same Cu⁺ cation due to the more effective π back donation of d electrons of Cu to antibonding π* orbitals of CO. The reaction of ethanol with acid sites in zeolite HFAU above 370 K produced water and ethane, polymerizing to polyethylene. Ethanol adsorbed on zeolite Cu(2)HFAU containing acid sites and Cu⁺_exch also produced ethene, but in this case, the ethene was bonded to Cu⁺ and did not polymerize. C=C stretching, which is IR non-active in the free ethene molecule, became IR active, and a weak IR band at 1538 cm⁻¹ was present. The reaction of ethanol above 370 K in Cu(5)NaFAU zeolite (containing small amounts of Cu⁺_exch and bigger amounts of Cu⁺_ox, Cu²⁺_exch and CuO) produced acetaldehyde, which was further oxidized to the acetate species (CH₃COO⁻). As oxygen was not supplied, the donors of oxygen were the Cu species present in our zeolite. The CO and NO adsorption experiments performed in Cu-zeolite before and after ethanol reaction evidenced that both Cu⁺_ox and Cu²⁺ (Cu²⁺_exch and CuO) were consumed by the ethanol oxidation reaction. The studies of the considered reaction of bulk CuO and Cu₂O as well as zeolites, in which the contribution of Cu⁺_ox species was reduced by various treatments, suggest that ethanol was oxidized to acetaldehyde by Cu²⁺_ox (the role of Cu⁺_ox could not be elucidated), but Cu⁺_ox was the oxygen donor in the acetate formation.     

Promoting selective electroreduction of nitrates to ammonia over electron-deficient Co modulated by rectifying Schottky contacts

Developing efficient electrocatalysts for selective nitrate contamination reduction into value-added ammonia is significant. Here,heterostructured Co/CoO nanosheet arrays(Co/CoO NSAs) exhibited excellent Faradaic efficiency(93.8%) and selectivity(91.2%) for nitrate electroreduction to ammonia, greatly outperforming Co NSAs.~(15)N isotope labeling experiments and ~1H nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) quantitative testing methods confirmed the origin of the produced ammonia. Electrochemical in situ Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectroscopy, online differential electrochemical mass spectrometry(DEMS)data and density functional theory(DFT) results revealed that the superior performances arose from the electron deficiency of Co induced by the rectifying Schottky contact in the Co/CoO heterostructures. The electron transfer from Co to CoO at the interface could not only suppress the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction, but also increase energy barriers for by-products, thus leading to high Faradaic efficiency and selectivity of ammonia.     

Crystal‐Phase‐Engineered PdCu Electrocatalyst for Enhanced Ammonia Synthesis

Crystal phase engineering is a powerful strategy for regulating the performance of electrocatalysts towards many electrocatalytic reactions, while its impact on the nitrogen electroreduction has been largely unexplored. Herein, we demonstrate that structurally ordered body‐centered cubic (BCC) PdCu nanoparticles can be adopted as active, selective, and stable electrocatalysts for ammonia synthesis. Specifically, the BCC PdCu exhibits excellent activity with a high NH₃ yield of 35.7 μg h^?1 mg^?1_cat, Faradaic efficiency of 11.5 %, and high selectivity (no N₂H₄ is detected) at ?0.1 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, outperforming its counterpart, face‐centered cubic (FCC) PdCu, and most reported nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) electrocatalysts. It also exhibits durable stability for consecutive electrolysis for five cycles. Density functional theory calculation reveals that strong orbital interactions between Pd and neighboring Cu sites in BCC PdCu obtained by structure engineering induces an evident correlation effect for boosting up the Pd 4d electronic activities for efficient NRR catalysis. Our findings open up a new avenue for designing active and stable electrocatalysts towards NRR.     

A study of copper oxide catalysts used in the methylchorosilane reaction and determination of the fate of oxygen

The relative effectiveness of CuO and Cu₂O were compared as catalysts for the methylchlorosilane (MCS) reaction. MCS reactions catalyzed by CuO had higher rates (0.15 g/g Si-h) than MCS reactions catalyzed by Cu₂O (0.08) AND higher selectivities (4–5 points in % Di higherfor CuO). A synthetic method was found for making ¹⁷O-labeledCu₂O based on reaction of CuCl with excess NaCl and >2equivalents of Na¹⁷OH. The Na¹⁷OH was made from¹⁷O-enriched water and Na. The % enrichment of theCu₂O was determined by reduction of the Cu₂O with H₂ to form Cu and water and then subsequent reaction of the water product with Me₂SiCl₂ to make cyclo-octamethyltetrasiloxane (D₄). The ¹⁷O enrichment of the D₄ wasthen determined by mass spectroscopy. Thus Cu₂O was made with27% ¹⁷O ±5%. The labeled Cu₂Owas used as the catalyst in the MCS lab reactor. A 14% enrichmentin ¹⁷O in D₄ and dichlorotetramethyldisiloxane(M^ClM^Cl) was found vs. the controlexperiment with natural abundance oxygen Cu₂O. Thus all of the oxygen from the copper oxide catalyst ends up as siloxane; 50% of the oxygen in the product siloxane comes from other sources. Copper oxide catalyst was used in the presence of the phosphorus promoters Cu₃P and PEt₃. In both phosphorus promoter experiments, the resultant MCS lab beds were subjected toacetonitrile extraction and then NMR analysis of the extracts. Theseextracts showed that phosphorus-containing species were present and thatwhen Cu₃P was the promoter, phosphorus products containing¹⁷O were present. Thus for Cu₃P, some of thephosphorus reacts with the ¹⁷O from the Cu₂O catalyst.     

Crystal-Phase-Engineered PdCu Electrocatalyst for Enhanced Ammonia Synthesis

Crystal phase engineering is a powerful strategy for regulating the performance of electrocatalysts towards many electrocatalytic reactions, while its impact on the nitrogen electroreduction has been largely unexplored. Herein, we demonstrate that structurally ordered body-centered cubic (BCC) PdCu nanoparticles can be adopted as active, selective, and stable electrocatalysts for ammonia synthesis. Specifically, the BCC PdCu exhibits excellent activity with a high NH₃ yield of 35.7 μg h⁻¹ mg⁻¹_cat, Faradaic efficiency of 11.5 %, and high selectivity (no N₂H₄ is detected) at −0.1 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, outperforming its counterpart, face-centered cubic (FCC) PdCu, and most reported nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) electrocatalysts. It also exhibits durable stability for consecutive electrolysis for five cycles. Density functional theory calculation reveals that strong orbital interactions between Pd and neighboring Cu sites in BCC PdCu obtained by structure engineering induces an evident correlation effect for boosting up the Pd 4d electronic activities for efficient NRR catalysis. Our findings open up a new avenue for designing active and stable electrocatalysts towards NRR.     

Highly Efficient Electrochemical Nitrate and Nitrogen Reduction to Ammonia under Ambient Conditions on Electrodeposited Cu-Nanosphere Electrode

The electrochemical reduction reaction of nitrogenous species such as NO₃⁻ (NO₃RR) and N₂ (NRR) is a promising strategy for producing ammonia under ambient conditions. However, low activity and poor selectivity of both NO₃RR and NRR remain the biggest problem of all current electrocatalysts. In this work, we fabricated Cu-nanosphere film with a high surface area and dominant with a Cu(200) facet by simple electrodeposition method. The Cu-nanosphere film exhibits high electrocatalytic activity for NO₃RR and NRR to ammonia under ambient conditions. In the nitrate environment, the Cu-nanosphere electrode reduced NO₃⁻ to yield NH₃ at a rate of 5.2 mg/h cm², with a Faradaic efficiency of 85 % at −1.3 V. In the N₂-saturated environment, the Cu-nanosphere electrode reduced N₂ to yield NH₃ with the highest yield rate of 16.2 μg/h cm² at −0.5 V, and the highest NH₃ Faradaic efficiency of 41.6 % at −0.4 V. Furthermore, the Cu-nanosphere exhibits excellent stability with the NH₃ yield rate, and the Faradaic efficiency remains stable after 10 consecutive cycles. Such high levels of NH₃ yield, selectivity, and stability at low applied potential are among the best values currently reported in the literature.     

Untersuchungen zur Reaktivität in den Systemen A/Cu/M/O (A = Na–Cs und M = Co,Ni, Cu,Ag); Synthese und Kristallstrukturen von K3Cu5O4 und Cs3Cu5O4

Reactivity in the Systems A/Cu/M/O (A = Na–Cs and M = Co, Ni, Cu, Ag); Synthesis and Crystal Structures of K₃Cu₅O₄ und Cs₃Cu₅O₄ The systems A/Cu/M/O with A = Na–Cs and M = Co, Ni, Cu, Ag have been investigated with preparative, thermoanalytical and in situ X‐ray techniques to study the reactivity. For the redox reaction Co/CuO in the presence of Na₂O the intermediate, NaCuO, has been characterized. K₃Cu₅O₄ was obtained by annealing intimate mixtures of K₂O and CuO (molar ratio 1 : 1) in Ag containers at 500 °C. Cs₃Cu₅O₄ could be synthezised by reaction of KCuO₂ with Cs₂O (molar ratio 1 : 1) in Cu containers at 500 °C. Both compounds crystallize in the space group P2₁/c with Z = 4 isotypic to Rb₃Cu₅O₄ [IPDS data, Mo–Kα; K₃Cu₅O₄: a = 946.0(1), b = 735.61(6), c = 1401.3(2) pm, β = 107.21(1)°; 2249 F²(hkl), R₁ = 7.09%, wR₂ = 11.42%; Cs₃Cu₅O₄: a = 1027.7(1), b = 761.42(7), c = 1473.4(2) pm, β = 106.46(1)°, 1712 F²(hkl), R₁ = 6.04%, wR₂ = 14.22%]. Force constants obtained from FIR experiments for the deformation mode δ(O–Cu–O), the Madelung Part of the Lattice Energie, MAPLE, Effective Coordination Numbers, ECoN, calculated via Mean Effective Ionenradii, MEFIR, are given.     

Conversion of CuO Nanoplates into Porous Hybrid Cu2O/Polypyrrole Nanoflakes through a Pyrrole‐Induced Reductive Transformation Reaction

Porous hybrid Cu₂O/polypyrrole nanoflakes have been synthesized from solid CuO nanoplate templates through the pyrrole‐induced reductive transformation reaction at elevated temperature. The conversion mechanism involves the reductive transformation of CuO to Cu₂O and the in situ oxidative polymerization of pyrrole to polypyrrole. In addition, the morphology of the as‐converted nanohybrids depends on the shape of the CuO precursors. The strategy enables us to transform single‐crystalline CuO nanosheets into hollow hybrid Cu₂O/polypyrrole nanoframes. The ability to transform CuO and an organic monomer into porous hybrid materials of conducting polymer and Cu₂O with macrosized morphological retention opens up interesting possibilities to create novel nanostructures. Electrochemical examinations show that these porous hybrid Cu₂O/polypyrrole nanostructures exhibit efficient catalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), excellent methanol tolerance ability, and catalytic stability in alkaline solution, thus making them promising nonprecious‐metal‐based catalysts for ORR in alkaline fuel cells and metal–air batteries.