Ce-doped copper oxide and copper vanadate Cu3VO4 hybrid for boosting nitrate electroreduction to ammonia.

A Ce-Cu 2+1 O/Cu 3 VO 4 -CF catalyst was successfully fabricated for efficient electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia, which demonstrates remarkable performance under alkaline conditions, achieving an NH 3 Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 93.7% at −0.5 V (vs. RHE), with an NH 3 production rate of 18.905 mg/h cm−2. [Display omitted] • A Ce doped Cu 2+1 O/Cu 3 VO 4 -CF electrocatalyst is first reported. • Ce-Cu 2+1 O/Cu 3 VO 4 -CF shows superior electrocatalytic NO 3 RR performance. • Ce-doping adjusts the density of states of the catalyst and creates more O v , which promotes the NO 3 RR activity. • DFT calculations further reveal the changes the d-band center and the rate-degerming step. The electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia reaction (ENO 3 RR) holds great potential as a cost-effective method for synthesizing ammonia. This work designed a cerium (Ce) doped Cu 2+1 O/Cu 3 VO 4 catalyst. The coupling of vanadium-based oxides with Cu 2+1 O effectively adjusts the catalyst's electronic structure, addressing the inherent issues of limited activity and low conductivity in typical copper-based oxides; moreover, Ce doping generates oxygen vacancies (O v), providing more active sites and thereby enhancing the ENO 3 RR performance. The catalyst exhibits superior NH 3 Faradaic efficiency (93.7 %) with a NH 3 yield of 18.905 mg h−1 cm−2 at −0.5 V vs. RHE under alkaline conditions. This study provides guidance for the design of highly efficient catalysts for ENO 3 RR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]