A five‐fold twin structure copper for enhanced electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction to sustainable ammonia

Abstract

AbstractUtilizing N₂ from the air and water for the electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction shows promise for NH₃ synthesis under mild conditions. However, the chemical stability of N₂ and the thermodynamic limitations of NH₃ synthesis hinder its effectiveness. Herein, we integrated a specially designed Cu nanowire catalyst with a five‐fold twin structure (T‐CuNW) into an electrocatalytic system, combining electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction with nonthermal plasma‐assisted N₂ activation. This work achieved an NH₃ yield of 45 mg·mgcat.−1·h−1 and a Faradaic efficiency of over 95% at −0.5 V versus RHE after a 90‐h stability test. In situ characterization revealed that the T‐CuNW's twin structure plays a crucial role for the generation of a large quantity of Hads, essential for the hydrogenation of nitrate intermediates, particularly nitrite (NO₂−). This enhanced hydrogenation process significantly contributes to the high performance of the ammonia synthesis system.