Promoting ambient ammonia electrosynthesis on modulated Cuδ+ catalysts by B-doping

Moderate B-doped Cu delta+ sites have outstanding performance for electrocatalytic NO3--to-NH3. The faradaic efficiency can reach 96.8% with a current density of 26.3 mA cm(-2) and an NH3 yield rate of 7.2 mg h(-1) mg(cat.)(-1). The active and stable Cu delta+ sites contribute to enhanced electron transport and higher reactivity. In situ experiments and theoretical calculations show that the Cu delta+ sites with moderate B-doping can decrease the reaction barrier and facilitate the formation of *NOH, leading to high catalytic activity for the NO3--to-NH3 reaction.