Nitrate Electroreduction to Ammonia Over Copper-based Catalysts.

The electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate (NO ) to ammonia (NH) holds substantial promise, as it transforms NO from polluted water into valuable NH. However, the reaction is limited by sluggish kinetics and low NH selectivity. Cu-based catalysts with unique electronic structures demonstrate rapid NO to NO rate-determining step (RDS) and fast electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (eNORR) kinetics among non-noble metal catalysts. Nonetheless, achieving high robustness and selectivity for NH with Cu-based catalysts remains a significant challenge. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the reaction mechanisms in eNORR, highlights how the structures of monometallic and bimetallic Cu-based catalyst affect catalytic properties, and discusses the current challenges as well as prospects in eNORR.