Dynamic Cu–Fe Dual Sites Steering Tandem e – /H + Delivery for Efficient NH 3 Electrosynthesis in Acid

The energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process for ammonia synthesis necessitates sustainable alternatives, electrochemical nitrate reduction (eNO 3 RR) is emerging as a promising route to address nitrate pollution. However, it faces a critical bottleneck: the low ammonia selectivity arising from competitive hydrogen evolution. Herein, we introduce copper carbon dots-supported iron phthalocyanine (Cu-CDs/FePc) - a electrocatalyst featuring dynamic Cu–Fe dual sites that steer tandem e – /H + delivery for efficient NH 3 electrosynthesis. It achieves an outstanding ammonia yield of 17.69 mg h –1 mg cat. –1 with a remarkable Faradaic efficiency of 91.0% at −0.7 V vs RHE in acid conditions, which surpasses many reported transition metal-based electrocatalysts for eNO 3 RR. In-situ FTIR spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations elucidate that dynamic Cu–Fe dual sites orchestrate directional electron–proton relay chains through electronic complementarity: Electron-deficient Cu 2+ centers intensify NO 3 – adsorption/activation, while electron-enriched Fe 2+ sites drive *NO 2 protonation, and interfacial charge shuttling initiates valence oscillations (Cu + /Cu 2+ and Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ ) effectively lower rate-determining step energy barrier, thereby boosting ammonia selectively while simultaneously suppressing hydrogen evolution. Furthermore, the catalyst exhibits robust stability over 100 h and practical versatility in zinc-air battery systems. This work presents a rational design strategy for high-performance eNO 3 RR catalysts, offering a significant advance toward efficient green ammonia synthesis and environmental remediation.