Cooperativity of Cu and Pd active sites in CuPd aerogels enhances nitrate electroreduction to ammonia

By rationally choosing Pd as an active metal and Cu as a promoting metal, we developed Cu-rich CuPd bimetallic aerogels as a self-supported electrocatalyst for nitrate electroreduction. The spongy aerogel structure provides abundant catalytically active sites, while the synergistic benefit of the CuPd binary composition increases their reactivity, helping to achieve efficient nitrate-to-ammonia conversion.