Efficient electrocatalytic conversion of N2 to NH3 on NiWO4 under ambient conditions

• Published in: Nanoscale 2020-01, Vol.12 (3), p.1478-1483
• Main Authors: Wang, Jia, Jang, Haeseong, Li, Guangkai, Kim, Min Gyu, Wu, Zexing, Liu, Xien, Cho, Jaephil
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ammonia; Bimetals; Catalysts; Chemical reduction; High temperature; Metal oxides; Nickel compounds; Sodium sulfate; Transition metals; Tungstates
• ISSN: 2040-3364; 2040-3372
• DOI: 10.1039/c9nr08777j

The development of highly efficient and inexpensive catalysts is still a tremendous challenge for the electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR), which is a promising alternative to high-temperature and high-pressure industrial technologies for the synthesis of NH3. Herein, we report a facile and large scale strategy exploiting a porous non-precious bimetallic oxide of NiWO4 for the NRR under ambient conditions. Benefiting from the above-mentioned merits, the designed electrocatalyst achieved outstanding catalytic activities in both 0.1 M HCl (NH3 yield: (40.05 ± 1.45) μg h−1 mg−1cat., Faraday efficiency (FE): (19.32 ± 0.68)% at −0.3 V) and 0.1 Na2SO4 (NH3 yield: (23.14 ± 1.75) μg h−1 mg−1cat., Farady efficiency: (10.18 ± 0.62)% at −0.3 V), and these efficiencies are superior to most of the reported non-precious metals for the NRR. Furthermore, the prepared catalyst presented excellent stability in both acidic and neutral media for up to 20 h. This work opens a constructive avenue for optimizing the catalytic performance of metal oxides and other transition metal-based catalysts for NRRs.