@article{Liu2026, 
author = {Zirui Liu and Jiacheng Jayden Wang and Yifan Li and Chenglong Qiu and Yunhong Liang and Jiacheng Wang},
title = {Synergistic copper single-atoms and nanoparticles in-situ generated towards nitrate electroreduction to ammonia},
year = {2026},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {19},
number = {3},
pages = {94908370},
keywords = {nitrate reduction, ammonia synthesis, copper nanoparticles, single-atom sites, resource recycling},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2026.94908370},
doi = {10.26599/NR.2026.94908370},
abstract = {Electrocatalytic synthesis of ammonia (NH3) from nitrate (NO3−) is an effective approach for reducing nitrate pollutants in the environment and a promising method for ammonia synthesis under mild conditions. However, current catalyst syntheses are costly, and their application in real wastewater remains underexplored. Herein, we prepared high-efficiency copper-based single-atom-nanoparticle synergistic sites on carbon felt (CuSA/NP@C) from copper-containing wastewater. Trace Cu2+ in wastewater enables efficient nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR), and the effect of different Cu2+ concentrations was also investigated. The optimized CuSA/NP@C, with synergy between single atoms and nanoparticles, shows excellent activity: a maximum Faradaic efficiency of ~ 100% (at −0.3 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)) and a NH3 yield of ~ 10 mg·cm−2. Theoretical calculations reveal that Cu single-atoms and nanoparticles synergistically act on the NO3* and H* intermediates to promote nitrate hydrogenation to NH3. A membrane electrode assembly with the CuSA/NP@C cathode achieves the NH3 synthesis at an industrial current density of 200 mA·cm−2 for over 90 h. This “treating waste with waste” strategy offers new paths for nitrate wastewater recycling and green NH3 synthesis advancement.}
}