Electrochemical synthesis of ammonia from N2 and H2O using a typical non-noble metal carbon-based catalyst under ambient conditions

Abstract

Ammonia is an important precursor of fertilizers and nitrogen compounds, and it is also a potential energy storage medium and alternative fuel for vehicles. The main ammonia production process is the Haber–Bosch process, which is energy- and capital-intensive. Therefore, it is crucial to find an alternative method for the synthesis of ammonia. In this paper, we reported a new non-noble metal N-doped nanocarbon/Fe₃C nanoparticle catalyst (NCF) for the electrochemical synthesis of ammonia, yielding an NH₃ production rate of 15.804 μg h⁻¹ mg_cat.⁻¹ and Faradic efficiency (FE) as high as 2.72% at −0.4 V vs. RHE at room temperature and ambient pressure in 0.1 M KOH electrolyte. We believe that this work will provide a new opportunity to design a new non-noble metal catalyst for the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) and also open a new route to solve the global energy and ecological crisis.