Ambient N-to-NH fixation over a CeO nanoparticle decorated three-dimensional carbon skeleton

• Published in: Sustainable energy & fuels 2022-07, Vol.6 (14), p.3344-3348
• Main Authors: Liu, Chengchen, Li, Shaoxiong, Li, Zerong, Zhang, Longcheng, Chen, Haijun, Zhao, Donglin, Sun, Shengjun, Luo, Yonglan, Alshehri, Abdulmohsen Ali, Hamdy, Mohamed S, Liu, Qian, Sun, Xuping
• Format: Article
• ISSN: 2398-4902
• DOI: 10.1039/d2se00557c

Electrochemical N 2 reduction emerges as a promising substitute to the Haber-Bosch process for ambient NH 3 synthesis, but it is a tough task to develop efficient catalysts. Here, we propose a CeO 2 nanoparticle decorated three-dimensional carbon skeleton derived from Juncus as an active and stable electrocatalyst for N 2 -to-NH 3 conversion. In N 2 -saturated 0.1 M Na 2 SO 4 , this nanohybrid attains a large NH 3 yield of 33.4 μg h −1 mg cat. −1 with a faradaic efficiency of 6.1% at −0.6 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode. Furthermore, it also possesses favorable durability. A CeO 2 nanoparticle decorated three-dimensional carbon skeleton derived from Juncus performs for electrocatalytic N 2 -to-NH 3 conversion, capable of attaining a large NH 3 yield of 33.4 μg h −1 mg cat. −1 and a faradaic efficiency of 6.1% at −0.6 V vs. RHE.