Electrochemical reduction of nitrate to ammonia in a fluidized electrocatalysis system with oxygen vacancy-rich CuOx nanoparticles

In this work, oxygen vacancy-rich CuOX nanoparticles were fabricated by a laser-irradiation technique, and employed in a fluidized electrocatalysis system for the nitrate reduction reaction (NtrRR) to ammonia. As a result, a large NH3 yield rate of 449.41 +/- 12.18 mu g h(-1) mg(cat)(-1) with a faradaic efficiency (FE) of 74.18 +/- 2.27% can be achieved at -0.25 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. The abundant oxygen vacancies of CuOX nanoparticles highly dispersed in an electrolyte in such a fluidized electrocatalysis system can effectively activate the N-O bond in nitrate, thus improving the selectivity and yield of the NtrRR to ammonia. This work would be helpful for designing and developing high-efficiency electrocatalysts and electrocatalysis systems for the NtrRR to ammonia.