NSRRC Develops New Catalyst to Boost Green Ammonia Conversion Efficiency
The National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) and Curtin University in Australia have jointly developed a new catalyst, "Ternary Copper Cobalt Nitride (CuNCo3) with Anti-Perovskite Structure," which significantly improves the efficiency and stability of nitrate conversion to green ammonia, contributing to wastewater treatment and green ammonia energy transition. It achieves 100% ammonia production efficiency with low voltage and low energy consumption.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 12, 2026 at 16:31
- 🔍 Collected: May 12, 2026 at 17:02 (30 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 13, 2026 at 03:09 (10h 7m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Zhao Min-ya, Taipei, 12th) Globally, green energy is being vigorously promoted. The National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) announced today that, in collaboration with a multinational research team from Curtin University in Australia, they have developed a new catalyst, "Ternary Copper Cobalt Nitride (CuNCo3) with Anti-Perovskite Structure." This catalyst significantly enhances the efficiency and stability of nitrate conversion to green ammonia, bringing a major breakthrough to wastewater treatment and green ammonia energy transition.
The NSRRC, under the National Science and Technology Council, issued a press release stating that the nitrate reduction reaction is a multi-step, complex electrochemical process that is not only slow but also easily interfered with by side reactions. In addition, traditional catalysts often suffer from fatal flaws such as structural instability or accumulation of by-products during the reaction, making it difficult to improve ammonia yield and selectivity.
The NSRRC explained that the research team broke away from traditional research methods and for the first time designed a catalyst with a "ternary copper cobalt nitride" anti-perovskite structure. By utilizing the special electronic interaction between copper and cobalt, when nitrate molecules approach, the cobalt atoms on the catalyst surface intelligently switch their "spin state," thereby generating highly active cobalt sites. These sites can change the adsorption method of nitrate, making the reaction easier to proceed, thereby lowering the energy barrier and accelerating the rate of ammonia production.
The NSRRC stated that to deeply understand the reaction mechanism, the research team for the first time utilized the "Taiwan Photon Source" and the "Advanced In-situ Operando Monitoring Technology" at the Taiwan beamline of Japan's "SPring-8 Synchrotron Radiation Facility." This allowed them to real-time track the catalytic reaction process, the electronic structure of active sites, local bonding changes, and the evolution of reaction intermediates, successfully confirming the core role of intelligent switching of cobalt atom spin in the catalytic process.
The NSRRC pointed out that the research results confirm that this new catalyst exhibits almost perfect performance. Firstly, it has excellent energy utilization efficiency, achieving 100% ammonia production efficiency at low voltage and low energy consumption. Secondly, it can continuously and stably output a large amount of ammonia from high concentrations of nitrate at an extremely fast operating speed. Finally, it has excellent durability, maintaining high stability even after long-term continuous operation tests.
The NSRRC stated that this research not only provides an efficient and stable catalyst framework for nitrate-to-green ammonia technology but also opens up a new approach to optimizing electrocatalytic reactions by controlling the spin state of metals. In the future, it is expected to provide an environmentally friendly solution for solving nitrate pollution in industrial wastewater and promote the energy transition of green ammonia energy, injecting new momentum into the field of electrocatalysis. (Editor: Huang Kuo-lun) 1150512
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(Central News Agency reporter Zhao Min-ya, Taipei, 12th) Globally, green energy is being vigorously promoted. The National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) announced today that, in collaboration with a multinational research team from Curtin University in Australia, they have developed a new catalyst, "Ternary Copper Cobalt Nitride (CuNCo3) with Anti-Perovskite Structure." This catalyst significantly enhances the efficiency and stability of nitrate conversion to green ammonia, bringing a major breakthrough to wastewater treatment and green ammonia energy transition.
The NSRRC, under the National Science and Technology Council, issued a press release stating that the nitrate reduction reaction is a multi-step, complex electrochemical process that is not only slow but also easily interfered with by side reactions. In addition, traditional catalysts often suffer from fatal flaws such as structural instability or accumulation of by-products during the reaction, making it difficult to improve ammonia yield and selectivity.
The NSRRC explained that the research team broke away from traditional research methods and for the first time designed a catalyst with a "ternary copper cobalt nitride" anti-perovskite structure. By utilizing the special electronic interaction between copper and cobalt, when nitrate molecules approach, the cobalt atoms on the catalyst surface intelligently switch their "spin state," thereby generating highly active cobalt sites. These sites can change the adsorption method of nitrate, making the reaction easier to proceed, thereby lowering the energy barrier and accelerating the rate of ammonia production.
The NSRRC stated that to deeply understand the reaction mechanism, the research team for the first time utilized the "Taiwan Photon Source" and the "Advanced In-situ Operando Monitoring Technology" at the Taiwan beamline of Japan's "SPring-8 Synchrotron Radiation Facility." This allowed them to real-time track the catalytic reaction process, the electronic structure of active sites, local bonding changes, and the evolution of reaction intermediates, successfully confirming the core role of intelligent switching of cobalt atom spin in the catalytic process.
The NSRRC pointed out that the research results confirm that this new catalyst exhibits almost perfect performance. Firstly, it has excellent energy utilization efficiency, achieving 100% ammonia production efficiency at low voltage and low energy consumption. Secondly, it can continuously and stably output a large amount of ammonia from high concentrations of nitrate at an extremely fast operating speed. Finally, it has excellent durability, maintaining high stability even after long-term continuous operation tests.
The NSRRC stated that this research not only provides an efficient and stable catalyst framework for nitrate-to-green ammonia technology but also opens up a new approach to optimizing electrocatalytic reactions by controlling the spin state of metals. In the future, it is expected to provide an environmentally friendly solution for solving nitrate pollution in industrial wastewater and promote the energy transition of green ammonia energy, injecting new momentum into the field of electrocatalysis. (Editor: Huang Kuo-lun) 1150512
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to get the latest news instantly.
Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.