Synergistic photoelectric and thermal effect for efficient nitrate reduction on plasmonic Cu photocathodes

The electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO₃RR) has attracted most attention of the researchers for its significant values in ammonia synthesis and effluent treatment. Plasmon-assisted electrocatalysis provides a powerful strategy in efficient conversion of solar energy to chemical energy by combining solar light with an electrochemical bias on the plasmonic metal nanostructures. Unfortunately, the electrocatalytic performance of plasmon-assisted NO₃RR by using gold (Au) catalysts, a typical plasmonic metal, exhibits ultra-low yields for ammonia synthesis due to the worst intrinsic catalytic activity of Au for NO₃RR. The metallic Cu displays both excellent catalytic performance for NO₃RR and plasmonic resonance adsorption. However, nobody focuses on the plasmon-assisted NO₃RR on Cu photoelectrodes till now.

Recently, Professor Yuchao Zhang's group from Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, found that the plasmonic excitation of Cu nanowires (Cu NWs) dramatically enhanced the NO₃RR performance. The current density of NO₃RR was enhanced by 27.66 mA cm^–2 (a 3-fold enhancement) under simulated solar irradiation at 328 K compared with that in the dark at 298 K. Besides, the current density retained 88% of its initial value under plasmonic excitation after 400 cycles of the cyclic voltammetry (CV) tests, in contrast to the 43% decay in the dark. The faradaic efficiency (FE) reached nearly 100% within the potential ranging from −0.2 to −0.4 V vs. RHE, and a high NH₃ yield rate of 1.37 mmol h⁻¹ cm⁻² was achieved at −0.2 V vs. RHE. They uncovered that the enhanced performance derived from the accelerated rate-limiting desorption of NH₃, which contributed by the plasmon induced photoelectric and thermal effects on Cu photoelectrode. The plasmon-assisted strategy was also versatile for other Cu-based nanostructures and revealed the great potential for promoting the NO₃RR performance by introducing thermal and light irradiation. The results were published in Chinese Journal of Catalysis (https://doi.org/10.1016/S1872-2067(24)60060-4).

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About the Journal

Chinese Journal of Catalysis is co-sponsored by Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Chemical Society, and it is currently published by Elsevier group. This monthly journal publishes in English timely contributions of original and rigorously reviewed manuscripts covering all areas of catalysis. The journal publishes Reviews, Accounts, Communications, Articles, Highlights, Perspectives, and Viewpoints of highly scientific values that help understanding and defining of new concepts in both fundamental issues and practical applications of catalysis. Chinese Journal of Catalysis ranks among the top one journals in Applied Chemistry with a current SCI impact factor of 15.7. The Editors-in-Chief are Profs. Can Li and Tao Zhang.

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