High single-pass conversion of nitrous oxide to dinitrogen in gas-diffusion-electrolyzer.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41381575.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-67244-z and PMC identifier 12808295.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
Electrocatalytic N<sub>2</sub>O reduction reaction offers a sustainable solution of converting greenhouse gas N<sub>2</sub>O to N<sub>2</sub> under ambient conditions, but achieving high single-pass conversion remains challenging. Here, we present a gas-diffusion-electrolyzer system with copper-silver bimetallic nanoalloy serving as the catalyst for efficient N<sub>2</sub>O reduction, realizing a single-pass conversion rate of 79.4% and a decomposition rate of 1381.7 μmol h<sup>-1</sup> mg<sub>cat</sub><sup>-1</sup> for 10 vol.% N<sub>2</sub>O. Computational fluid dynamics simulation shows that the system optimizes gas flow regime and reduces diffusion distance compared to batch system, ensuring a uniform N<sub>2</sub>O distribution over cathode surface. The combination of Ag with Cu synergistically facilitates the adsorption, hydrogenation, and cleavage of the N-O bond in N<sub>2</sub>O. Techno-economic assessment indicates the levelized N<sub>2</sub>O decomposition cost varies between 1.66-2.14 US$ kg<sup>-1</sup>. Our findings underscore the substantial potential and practical viability of electrocatalytic N<sub>2</sub>O decomposition.