Ni@TiO2 Nanoarray with the Schottky Junction for the Highly Selective Electrochemical Reduction of Nitrite to Ammonia

Electrocatalytic reduction of nitrite (NO 2 – ) is of vital significance for the removal of NO 2 – pollution and simultaneously making value-added ammonia (NH 3 ). Herein, Ni nanoparticles anchored on the TiO 2 nanoribbon array with the Schottky junction were successfully constructed for highly selective NO 2 – reduction to NH 3 . Density functional theory reveals the construction of the Ni@TiO 2 Schottky junction leads to charge rearrangement and optimized adsorptive energy of intermediates, assuring the selective conversion from NO 2 – to NH 3 . Expectantly, this catalyst achieves an impressive NH 3 yield of 568.7 μmol h –1 cm –2 and an ultrahigh Faradaic efficiency of 98.5% under ambient conditions with good stability.