Electrochemical behavior of ammonia at Ni/Ni(OH)2 electrode

The electrochemical oxidation of ammonia was investigated on a Ni/Ni(OH)2 electrode prepared by potential cycling of a Ni electrode in 1 M NaClO4. It was found that oxidation of ammonia is strongly pH dependent and proceeds mainly at pH values above 7. This indicates that NH3 rather than NH4+ is oxidized on nickel electrodes. Oxidation of ammonia occurs in the potential region of Ni(II)/Ni(III) redox activity resulting in formation of a clear peak. Ni/Ni(OH)2 is not deactivated during ammonia oxidation even at high ammonia concentrations. A considerable fraction of the ammonia was oxidized to nitrate (11%), while the rest were gaseous nitrogen compounds. It is postulated that nitrogen was formed via a mechanism involving direct electron transfer from ammonia to the anode whereas the formation of nitrate involved oxygen transfer from water to an ammonia molecule.