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General synthesis of high-entropy single-atom nanocages for electrosynthesis of ammonia from nitrate

Author

Listed:
  • Sishuang Tang

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

  • Minghao Xie

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

  • Saerom Yu

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

  • Xun Zhan

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

  • Ruilin Wei

    (Fudan University)

  • Maoyu Wang

    (Argonne National Laboratory)

  • Weixin Guan

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

  • Bowen Zhang

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

  • Yuyang Wang

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

  • Hua Zhou

    (Argonne National Laboratory)

  • Gengfeng Zheng

    (Fudan University)

  • Yuanyue Liu

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

  • Jamie H. Warner

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

  • Guihua Yu

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

Abstract

Given the growing emphasis on energy efficiency, environmental sustainability, and agricultural demand, there’s a pressing need for decentralized and scalable ammonia production. Converting nitrate ions electrochemically, which are commonly found in industrial wastewater and polluted groundwater, into ammonia offers a viable approach for both wastewater treatment and ammonia production yet limited by low producibility and scalability. Here we report a versatile and scalable solution-phase synthesis of high-entropy single-atom nanocages (HESA NCs) in which Fe and other five metals-Co, Cu, Zn, Cd, and In-are isolated via cyano-bridges and coordinated with C and N, respectively. Incorporating and isolating the five metals into the matrix of Fe resulted in Fe-C5 active sites with a minimized symmetry of lattice as well as facilitated water dissociation and thus hydrogenation process. As a result, the Fe-HESA NCs exhibited a high selectivity toward NH3 from the electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate with a Faradaic efficiency of 93.4% while maintaining a high yield rate of 81.4 mg h−1 mg−1.

Suggested Citation

  • Sishuang Tang & Minghao Xie & Saerom Yu & Xun Zhan & Ruilin Wei & Maoyu Wang & Weixin Guan & Bowen Zhang & Yuyang Wang & Hua Zhou & Gengfeng Zheng & Yuanyue Liu & Jamie H. Warner & Guihua Yu, 2024. "General synthesis of high-entropy single-atom nanocages for electrosynthesis of ammonia from nitrate," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-51112-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51112-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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