祝贺课题组与南京农业大学邱博诚教授合作，在《Materials Horizons》上发表有关电驱动PET塑料转化耦合硝酸根还原的研究论文！

Title: Efficient Co-production of Ammonia and Formic Acid from Nitrate and Polyester via Paired Electrolysis

Abstract: Paired electrolysis, which integrates a productive cathodic reaction such as nitrate reduction reaction (NO3-RR) with selective oxidation at anode, offers an intriguing way to maximize both atomic and energy efficiency. However, in a conventional design, NO3-RR is often coupled with the anodic oxygen evolution reaction, leading to substantial energy consumption while yielding low-value oxygen. Here, we report a hybrid electrolysis system that combines cathodic reduction of nitrate to ammonia and anodic oxidation of polyethylene-terephthalate-derived ethylene glycol (EG) to formic acid (FA), utilizing oxygen-vacancy-rich (OV) Co3O4 and Cu doped Ni(OH)2 as the cathode and anode, respectively. Remarkably, this paired electrolysis system demonstrates a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 92% for cathodic ammonia production and a FE of 99% for anodic FA production, while reducing the cell voltage by 0.54 V compared to the conventional NO3-RR system at the same current density of 100 mA cm-2. Experimental investigations combined with theoretical calculations reveal that the OV introduction effectively addresses the insufficient NO3- adsorption and hydrogenation on bare Co3O4. Additionally, Cu incorporation increases the Ni-O covalency, resulting in an improved EG adsorption ability. This work presents a promising way for waste management via paired electrolysis.

论文链接：https://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2025/MH/D5MH00130G