Insights into the state-of-the-art developments in active-sites engineering for electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate (NO3−) to green ammonia (NH3)

Abstract

The electrocatalytic nitrate-to-ammonia (NO3 ̄ to NH3) production has been raised as a potential alternative pathway to produce green ammonia in the context of the increasing demand of ammonia and decontaminate the nitrate pollutions. However, the poor electrocatalytic NH3 production performance, originated from sluggish kinetics and competitive reactions, has been considered as the primary obstacles for the beyond lab-scale application. To this point, the development of robust catalysts has become the heart of whole process, addressing the mentioned issues. Indeed, numerous attempts have been devoted to develop efficient electrocatalytic materials for this purpose. Nevertheless, such investigations, deployed to various classes of materials with engineered active sites, have been sporadic. Also, the recent explorations have witnessed novel materials, which could be the game-changers in the near future. Accordingly, this review attempts to provide a comprehensive perspective and sufficient roadmap to the development of outstanding electrocatalysts for NO3̶ to NH3 reduction. The resulted outcomes are expected to pave the way for the exploration of superior electrocatalysts, which could bridge the research gap in taking this process from lab to market.