Nanomaterials for the Electrochemical Nitrogen Reduction Reaction Under Ambient Conditions

Overview

Journal Nanoscale Adv

Publisher Royal Society of Chemistry

Specialty Biotechnology

Date 2022 Sep 22

PMID 36133266

Authors

Juan Wen

Linqing Zuo

Haodong Sun

Xiongwei Wu

Ting Huang

Zaichun Liu

Jing Wang

Lili Liu

Yuping Wu

Xiang Liu

Teunis van Ree

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

As an important chemical product and carbon-free energy carrier, ammonia has a wide range of daily applications in several related fields. Although the industrial synthesis method using the Haber-Bosch process could meet production demands, its huge energy consumption and gas emission limit its long-time development. Therefore, the clean and sustainable electrocatalytic N reduction reaction (NRR) operating under conditions have attracted great attention in recent years. However, the chemical inertness of N molecules makes it difficult for this reaction to proceed. Therefore, rationally designed catalysts need to be introduced to activate N molecules. Here, we summarize the recent progress in low-dimensional nanocatalyst development, including the relationship between the structure and NRR performance from both the theoretical and experimental perspectives. Some insights into the development of NRR electrocatalysts from electronic control aspects are provided. In addition, the theoretical mechanisms, reaction pathways and credibility studies of the NRR are discussed. Some challenges and future prospects of the NRR are also pointed out.

Citing Articles

Metal-Based Electrocatalysts for Selective Electrochemical Nitrogen Reduction to Ammonia.

Zhang Y, Li P, Ren Y, He Y, Zhang C, Hu J Nanomaterials (Basel). 2023; 13(18).

PMID: 37764608 PMC: 10535433. DOI: 10.3390/nano13182580.

Electrochemical Nitrogen Fixation for Green Ammonia: Recent Progress and Challenges.

Jin H, Kim S, Venkateshalu S, Lee J, Lee K, Jin K Adv Sci (Weinh). 2023; 10(23):e2300951.

PMID: 37289104 PMC: 10427382. DOI: 10.1002/advs.202300951.

Advancing Photoelectrochemical Energy Conversion through Atomic Design of Catalysts.

Zhao E, Du K, Yin P, Ran J, Mao J, Ling T Adv Sci (Weinh). 2021; 9(1):e2104363.

PMID: 34850603 PMC: 8728826. DOI: 10.1002/advs.202104363.

References

Zeng L, Chen S, van der Zalm J, Li X, Chen A . Sulfur vacancy-rich N-doped MoS nanoflowers for highly boosting electrocatalytic N fixation to NH under ambient conditions. Chem Commun (Camb). 2019; 55(51):7386-7389. DOI: 10.1039/c9cc02607j. View

Yao Y, Zhu S, Wang H, Li H, Shao M . A Spectroscopic Study on the Nitrogen Electrochemical Reduction Reaction on Gold and Platinum Surfaces. J Am Chem Soc. 2018; 140(4):1496-1501. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b12101. View

Li Y, Zhou Z, Shen P, Chen Z . Spin gapless semiconductor-metal-half-metal properties in nitrogen-doped zigzag graphene nanoribbons. ACS Nano. 2009; 3(7):1952-8. DOI: 10.1021/nn9003428. View

Li B, Setyawati M, Zou H, Dong J, Luo H, Li N . Emerging 0D Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides for Sensors, Biomedicine, and Clean Energy. Small. 2017; 13(31). DOI: 10.1002/smll.201700527. View

Shi M, Bao D, Wulan B, Li Y, Zhang Y, Yan J . Au Sub-Nanoclusters on TiO toward Highly Efficient and Selective Electrocatalyst for N Conversion to NH at Ambient Conditions. Adv Mater. 2017; 29(17). DOI: 10.1002/adma.201606550. View

Wei W, Liang H, Parvez K, Zhuang X, Feng X, Mullen K . Nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets with size-defined mesopores as highly efficient metal-free catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2014; 53(6):1570-4. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201307319. View

Xu T, Ma D, Li C, Liu Q, Lu S, Asiri A . Ambient electrochemical NH synthesis from N and water enabled by ZrO nanoparticles. Chem Commun (Camb). 2020; 56(25):3673-3676. DOI: 10.1039/c9cc10087c. View

Morales-Guio C, Stern L, Hu X . Nanostructured hydrotreating catalysts for electrochemical hydrogen evolution. Chem Soc Rev. 2014; 43(18):6555-69. DOI: 10.1039/c3cs60468c. View

Li B, Zhu X, Wang J, Xing R, Liu Q, Shi X . Ti self-doped TiO nanowires for efficient electrocatalytic N reduction to NH. Chem Commun (Camb). 2019; 56(7):1074-1077. DOI: 10.1039/c9cc08971c. View

10.

Wang H, Li H, Zhang M, Song Y, Huang J, Huang H . Carbon Dots Enhance the Nitrogen Fixation Activity of Azotobacter Chroococcum. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2018; 10(19):16308-16314. DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b03758. View

11.

Qiu W, Luo Y, Liang R, Qiu J . Amorphous/Crystalline Hetero-Phase TiO -Coated α-Fe O Core-Shell Nanospindles: A High-Performance Artificial Nitrogen Fixation Electrocatalyst. Chemistry. 2020; 26(45):10226-10229. DOI: 10.1002/chem.202000695. View

12.

Li C, Fu Y, Wu Z, Xia J, Wang X . Sandwich-like reduced graphene oxide/yolk-shell-structured Fe@FeO/carbonized paper as an efficient freestanding electrode for electrochemical synthesis of ammonia directly from HO and nitrogen. Nanoscale. 2019; 11(27):12997-13006. DOI: 10.1039/c9nr02782c. View

13.

Tong Y, Guo H, Liu D, Yan X, Su P, Liang J . Vacancy Engineering of Iron-Doped W O Nanoreactors for Low-Barrier Electrochemical Nitrogen Reduction. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2020; 59(19):7356-7361. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202002029. View

14.

Liu Y, Li D, Yu J, Ding B . Stable Confinement of Black Phosphorus Quantum Dots on Black Tin Oxide Nanotubes: A Robust, Double-Active Electrocatalyst toward Efficient Nitrogen Fixation. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2019; 58(46):16439-16444. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201908415. View

15.

Jin H, Li L, Liu X, Tang C, Xu W, Chen S . Nitrogen Vacancies on 2D Layered W N : A Stable and Efficient Active Site for Nitrogen Reduction Reaction. Adv Mater. 2019; 31(32):e1902709. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201902709. View

16.

Yang X, Ling F, Zi X, Wang Y, Zhang H, Zhang H . Low-Coordinate Step Atoms via Plasma-Assisted Calcinations to Enhance Electrochemical Reduction of Nitrogen to Ammonia. Small. 2020; 16(17):e2000421. DOI: 10.1002/smll.202000421. View

17.

Zhang L, Ding L, Chen G, Yang X, Wang H . Ammonia Synthesis Under Ambient Conditions: Selective Electroreduction of Dinitrogen to Ammonia on Black Phosphorus Nanosheets. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2018; 58(9):2612-2616. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201813174. View

18.

Ren X, Cui G, Chen L, Xie F, Wei Q, Tian Z . Electrochemical N fixation to NH under ambient conditions: MoN nanorod as a highly efficient and selective catalyst. Chem Commun (Camb). 2018; 54(61):8474-8477. DOI: 10.1039/c8cc03627f. View

19.

Wang X, Qiu S, Feng J, Tong Y, Zhou F, Li Q . Confined Fe-Cu Clusters as Sub-Nanometer Reactors for Efficiently Regulating the Electrochemical Nitrogen Reduction Reaction. Adv Mater. 2020; 32(40):e2004382. DOI: 10.1002/adma.202004382. View

20.

Chen C, Yan D, Wang Y, Zhou Y, Zou Y, Li Y . BN Pairs Enriched Defective Carbon Nanosheets for Ammonia Synthesis with High Efficiency. Small. 2019; 15(7):e1805029. DOI: 10.1002/smll.201805029. View