Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction over Cu₂O nanowires partially decorated with Fe₂O₃nanoparticles

Abstract

A two-step wet impregnation method was developed to synthesize a FeCuOx bimetallic catalyst featuring a Cu2O nanowire scaffold as a nanotemplate for anchoring Fe2O3 nanoparticles. The catalyst exhibits excellent NO3RR performance in neutral electrolyte, achieving a faradaic efficiency of 90.3% and an NH3 yield of 4609.6 µg cm−2 h−1, attributed to Cu–Fe interfacial electronic coupling that balances *NO3 activation on Fe2O3 with *NO2/*NHx hydrogenation and NH3 release on Cu2O, thereby promoting rapid intermediate transfer and suppressing side pathways. Show more