Anomalous Catalytic Performance on Non‐Active‐Site Carbon Substrate

Carbon‐based nanomaterials are gaining attention in electrocatalysis. This study investigates the inherent nitrate reduction activity (NO3RR) of commercial carbon paper as a substrate. Results showed that carbon paper, without additional catalysts, achieved approximately 80.42% NH3 Faradaic efficiency (FE) at −2.1 V vs. Hg/HgO in alkaline conditions, 83.51% NH3 FE at −1.9 V vs. Ag/AgCl in neutral conditions, and 14.53% NH3 FE at −1.9 V vs. MSE in acidic conditions. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations revealed energy barriers of 2.66 eV, 0.95 eV, and 1.37 eV, respectively. Molecular physisorption on the carbon paper surface generates an induced electric field, promoting charge transfer between the carbon paper and the adsorbed molecules, thus enhancing the activity of the carbon paper. These findings highlight the importance of considering the intrinsic catalytic properties of carbon substrates in catalyst design and evaluation, as overlooking these properties can lead to inaccurate performance assessments. This study emphasizes the need for a comprehensive approach to optimize catalytic systems.