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Lu X, Li J, Liu F, Wang Y, Tang X, Li H, Peng Y, Xu C. Powerful Orbital Hybridization of Copper-Silver Bimetallic Nanosheets for Electrocatalytic Nitrogen Reduction to Ammonia. Inorg Chem 2023. [PMID: 37465928 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c01766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Electrochemical nitrogen reduction (eNRR) is a promising strategy to replace the energy- and capital-intensive Haber-Bosch process. Unfortunately, the low selectivity of the eNRR process impedes the industrial application of this approach. In this work, a highly efficient and stable NRR electrocatalyst is obtained via coreduction of Cu and Ag precursors using the holly leaves as reducing agents. The as-obtained Cu3Ag bimetallic nanosheets exhibit excellent NRR performance with an NH3 production rate of 31.3 μg h-1 mg-1cat. and a Faradaic efficiency of 31.3% at -0.2 V vs RHE. According to density functional theory (DFT) calculation, the outstanding performance of Cu3Ag bimetallic nanosheets could be caused by the fact that Ag optimizes the 3d orbital occupation of Cu and synergistically enhances the charge transfer during the NRR process, resulting in a suitable adsorption strength of the intermediates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoying Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Laboratory of Special Function Materials and Structure Design of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jian Li
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Laboratory of Special Function Materials and Structure Design of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Fen Liu
- Eco-environmental Monitoring and Scientific Research Center, YRBEEA, Zhengzhou 450000, China
| | - Yantao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Laboratory of Special Function Materials and Structure Design of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xiaohai Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Laboratory of Special Function Materials and Structure Design of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Hua Li
- School of Materials and Energy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Yong Peng
- School of Materials and Energy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Cailing Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Laboratory of Special Function Materials and Structure Design of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
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Biswas A, Ghosh B, Dey RS. Refining the Spectroscopic Detection Technique: A Pivot in the Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:3810-3820. [PMID: 36854657 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c00201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Ammonia has been recognized as the future fuel because of its immense advantages over liquid hydrogen. The research trend nowadays is mostly inclined toward the electrochemical ammonia synthesis since it offers a sustainable method of green ammonia production. The indophenol blue method is one of the largely used colorimetric techniques to detect ammonia spectroscopically but lacks a proper experimental protocol. The unresolved speculations related to this method concerning stability of dye, sequence of mixing of reagents, importance of pH in the dye formation, or sensitivity of the method to interferants need vigorous experimental verification and a legitimate protocol has to be set up for a reliable and reproducible data. This work thus aims to unveil the artefacts of this method and explore the mechanisms involved such that it becomes easy for a newcomer as well as existing researchers in the field to understand the requirement of rigorous optimizations in this technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashmita Biswas
- Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Sector-81, Mohali, 140306 Punjab, India
| | - Bikram Ghosh
- Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Sector-81, Mohali, 140306 Punjab, India
| | - Ramendra Sundar Dey
- Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Sector-81, Mohali, 140306 Punjab, India
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Recent Progress in Pd based Electrocatalysts for Electrochemical Nitrogen Reduction to Ammonia. J Electroanal Chem (Lausanne) 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jelechem.2023.117174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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Chen Q, Zhou X, Zhang X, Luo W, Yang S, Ge Y, Cai D, Nie H, Yang Z. Pd/PdO Electrocatalysts Boost Their Intrinsic Nitrogen Reduction Reaction Activity and Selectivity via Controllably Modulating the Oxygen Level. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:20988-20996. [PMID: 35485647 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c02329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (eNRR) is regarded as promising sustainable ammonia (NH3) production alternative to the industrial Haber-Bosch process. However, the current electrocatalytic systems still exhibit a grand challenge to simultaneously boost their eNRR activity and selectivity under ambient conditions. Herein, we construct Pd/PdO electrocatalysts with a controlled oxygen level by a facile electrochemical deposition approach at different gas atmospheres. Theoretical calculation results indicate that the introduction of an oxygen atom into a pure Pd catalyst would modulate the electron density of the Pd/PdO heterojunction and thus influence the adsorption energy for nitrogen and hydrogen. The calculation results and experiments show that the Pd/PdO heterojunction with a moderate oxygen level (O-M) exhibits optimal eNRR performance with a high NH3 yield of 11.0 μg h-1 mgcat-1 and a large Faraday efficiency (FE) of 22.2% at 0.03 V (vs RHE) in a 0.1 M KOH electrolyte. The moderate affinity of Pd to N in the Pd/PdO heterojunction and the inhibition of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) can facilitate the breaking of the triple bond of N2 and promote the protonation of N, which is confirmed by ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and in situ Raman spectroscopy. In situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations further disclose that the O-M catalysts prefer the distal association pathway during the eNRR process. This work opens a new way to construct heterostructures by controlling the oxygen level in other electrochemical fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianqian Chen
- Key Laboratory of Carbon Materials of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Xuemei Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Carbon Materials of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Xiaodong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Carbon Materials of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Wenjie Luo
- Key Laboratory of Carbon Materials of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Shuo Yang
- College of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Yongjie Ge
- Key Laboratory of Carbon Materials of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Dong Cai
- Key Laboratory of Carbon Materials of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Huagui Nie
- Key Laboratory of Carbon Materials of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Zhi Yang
- Key Laboratory of Carbon Materials of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
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Ma H, Chen Z, Wang Z. Electroreduction of nitrogen to ammonia on nanoporous gold. NANOSCALE 2021; 13:1717-1722. [PMID: 33427282 DOI: 10.1039/d0nr07362h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The electrochemical reduction of nitrogen (N2) to ammonia (NH3) has attracted attention as an emerging alternative to the traditional Haber-Bosch process to synthesize NH3. Unfortunately, electrocatalytic N2 reduction processes are still very inefficient. Here we report three-dimensional nanoporous gold (NPG) as an efficient and stable electrocatalyst for the N2 reduction reaction at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. NPG can deliver a high NH3 yield rate of 45.7 μg h-1 mg-1cat. and a high faradaic efficiency of 3.41% at an ultralow potential of -0.10 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode, in 0.1 M HCl solution. These values are much higher than those obtained for most of the reported electrocatalysts under similar experimental conditions. Structural characterization and density functional theory calculations reveal that the excellent electrocatalytic activity of NPG mainly results from the high density of geometrically required surface steps and kinks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haibin Ma
- Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China.
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Li X, Fan W, Xu D, Ding J, Bai H, Shi W. Boosted Photoelectrochemical N 2 Reduction over Mo 2C In Situ Coated with Graphitized Carbon. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2020; 36:14802-14810. [PMID: 33232605 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c02770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Photoelectrochemical N2 reduction reaction (PEC NRR) is a promising method to solve the problems of environmental protection and energy sustainability. However, the strong chemical stability of the N≡N bond and competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) cause the nonideal efficiency of N2 → NH3 conversion in actual operation. For the first time, a Mo2C/C heterostructure was fabricated as a PEC cathode for N2 reduction under environmental conditions. The Mo2C/C heterostructure could effectively decrease the coverage of hydrogen spillover and inhibit the competitive HER, resulting in a desirable selectivity for N2 activation. Meanwhile, the decoration of the C shell further promoted the stability and conductivity of Mo2C. Mo sites of Mo2C were considered as activation centers, which played a dominant role in the final PEC performance. An optimal NH3 yield rate of up to 6.6 μg h-1 mg-1 was achieved with the Mo2C/C heterostructure, which was almost 3 times that with pristine C. The faradic efficiency (FE) of the Mo2C/C heterostructure was 37.2% at 0.2 V (vs Ag/AgCl). This work not only provides an insight into the interplay between the Mo2C/C heterostructure and N2 activation, but also reveals its great potential in NH3 synthesis by a green route.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Li
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China
| | - Weiqiang Fan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China
| | - Dongbo Xu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China
| | - Jinrui Ding
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China
| | - Hongye Bai
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China
| | - Weidong Shi
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China
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Patil SB, Wang DY. Exploration and Investigation of Periodic Elements for Electrocatalytic Nitrogen Reduction. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2020; 16:e2002885. [PMID: 32945097 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202002885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
High demand for green ecosystems has urged the human community to reconsider and revamp the traditional way of synthesis of several compounds. Ammonia (NH3 ) is one such compound whose applications have been extended from fertilizers to explosives and is still being synthesized using the high energy inhaling Haber-Bosch process. Carbon free electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is considered as a potential replacement for the Haber-Bosch method. However, it has few limitations such as low N2 adsorption, selectivity (competitive HER reactions), low yield rate etc. Since it is at the early stage, tremendous efforts have been devoted in understanding the reaction mechanism and screening of the electrocatalysts and electrolytes. In this review, the electrocatalysts are classified based on the periodic table with heat maps of Faraday efficiency and yield rate of NH3 in NRR and their electrocatalytic properties toward NRR are discussed. Also, the activity of each element is discussed and short tables and concise graphs are provided to enable the researchers to understand recent progress on each element. At the end, a perspective is provided on countering the current challenges in NRR. This review may act as handbook for basic NRR understandings, recent progress in NRR, and the design and development of advanced electrocatalysts and systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivaraj B Patil
- Department of Chemistry, Tunghai University, Taichung, 40704, Taiwan
| | - Di-Yan Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Tunghai University, Taichung, 40704, Taiwan
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