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Domino Effect: Gold Electrocatalyzing Lithium Reduction to Accelerate Nitrogen Fixation
Author(s) -
Gao LinFeng,
Cao Yuan,
Wang Cheng,
Yu XiWen,
Li WenBo,
Zhou Yong,
Wang Bing,
Yao YingFang,
Wu CongPing,
Luo WenJun,
Zou ZhiGang
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.202015496
Subject(s) - faraday efficiency , chemistry , electrocatalyst , electrochemistry , aqueous solution , lithium (medication) , catalysis , redox , electron transfer , inorganic chemistry , yield (engineering) , combinatorial chemistry , photochemistry , materials science , electrode , organic chemistry , medicine , metallurgy , endocrinology
Green production of NH 3 , especially the Li‐mediated electrochemical N 2 reduction reaction (NRR) in non‐aqueous solutions, is attracting research interest. Controversies regarding the NRR mechanism greatly impede its optimization and wide applications. To understand the electrocatalytic process, we treated Au coated carbon fibrous paper (Au/CP) as the model catalyst. In situ XRD confirmed the transformation of lithium intermediates during NRR. Au greatly improved electron transfer kinetics to catalyze metallic Li formation, and accordingly highly accelerated spontaneous NRR. The Faradaic efficiency of NRR on Au/CP reached 34.0 %, and NH 3 yield was as high as 50 μg h −1 cm −2 . Our research shows that the key step of Li‐mediated non‐aqueous NRR is electrocatalytic Li reduction and offers a novel electrocatalyst design method for Li reduction.