Some thoughts about the electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction

The past five years have witnessed significant development of efficient electrocatalysts for nitrate reduction. Most of the reports focused on the Faraday efficiency of ammonia, current density, and ammonia production rates. However, some scientific and practical challenges are rarely discussed. This perspective summarized some bottlenecks and limitations, such as the sustainable nitrate supply, species balance of overall reaction, mass transfer limitation of nitrate, and stability of catalysts. The proposed challenges are opportunities for moving this field forward in the future.