Oxidation‐etching induced morphology regulation of Cu catalysts for high‐performance electrochemical N2 reduction
Xuqiang Ji,
Ting Wang,
Qian Liu,
Yongsong Luo,
Siyu Lu,
Guang Chen,
Shuyan Gao,
Abdullah M. Asiri,
Xuping Sun
Affiliations
Xuqiang Ji
Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu China
Ting Wang
Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu China
Qian Liu
Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu China
Yongsong Luo
Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu China
Siyu Lu
Green Catalysis Center and College of Chemistry Zhengzhou University Zhengzhou China
Guang Chen
The Key Laboratory of Life‐Organic Analysis and Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Intermediates and Analysis of Natural Medicine, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Qufu Normal University Qufu China
Shuyan Gao
School of Materials Science and Engineering Henan Normal University Xinxiang China
Abdullah M. Asiri
Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science & Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials Research King Abdulaziz University Jeddah Saudi Arabia
Xuping Sun
Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu China
Abstract Renewable‐electricity‐driven N2 reduction is an attractive approach for ambient NH3 synthesis, but active electrocatalysts are needed to enable the N2 reduction reaction. Monolithic electrodes with active components anchored on conductive supports provide many advantages like structural stability, large surface area, and low electrical resistance. Here, a novel “oxidation‐etching” strategy is proposed to carve the surface of Cu foam into structures of particles, cubes, and sheets for N2 reduction electrocatalysis. The optimal catalyst achieves a Faradic efficiency as high as 18% at −0.35 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and a large NH3 yield of 2.45 × 10−10 mol s−1 cm−1 at −0.40 V vs RHE in 0.1 M HCl. Notably, it also shows superior long‐term electrochemical durability, with the preservation of electro‐activity for at least 20 hours.
