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Atomically Dispersed Molybdenum Catalysts for Efficient Ambient Nitrogen Fixation
Author(s) -
Han Lili,
Liu Xijun,
Chen Jinping,
Lin Ruoqian,
Liu Haoxuan,
Lü Fang,
Bak Seongmin,
Liang Zhixiu,
Zhao Shunzheng,
Stavitski Eli,
Luo Jun,
Adzic Radoslav R.,
Xin Huolin L.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201811728
Subject(s) - catalysis , faraday efficiency , molybdenum , yield (engineering) , nitrogen , chemical engineering , carbon fibers , ambient pressure , sulfur , porosity , inorganic chemistry , metal , drop (telecommunication) , materials science , redox , chemistry , nanotechnology , electrochemistry , electrode , organic chemistry , metallurgy , telecommunications , physics , composite material , composite number , computer science , engineering , thermodynamics
Abstract NH 3 synthesis by the electrocatalytic N 2 reduction reaction (NRR) under ambient conditions is an appealing alternative to the currently employed industrial method—the Haber–Bosch process—that requires high temperature and pressure. We report single Mo atoms anchored to nitrogen‐doped porous carbon as a cost‐effective catalyst for the NRR. Benefiting from the optimally high density of active sites and hierarchically porous carbon frameworks, this catalyst achieves a high NH 3 yield rate (34.0±3.6 μgNH3 h −1 mg cat. −1 ) and a high Faradaic efficiency (14.6±1.6 %) in 0.1 m KOH at room temperature. These values are considerably higher compared to previously reported non‐precious‐metal electrocatalysts. Moreover, this catalyst displays no obvious current drop during a 50 000 s NRR, and high activity and durability are achieved in 0.1 m HCl. The findings provide a promising lead for the design of efficient and robust single‐atom non‐precious‐metal catalysts for the electrocatalytic NRR.