Few-layer black phosphorus enables nitrogen fixation under ambient conditions

• Published in: RSC advances 2024-01, Vol.14 (7), p.4742-4747
• Main Authors: Garnes-Portolés, Francisco, Lloret, Vicent, Vidal-Moya, José Alejandro, Löffler, Mario, Mayrhofer, Karl J. J, Cerón-Carrasco, Jose Pedro, Abellán, Gonzalo, Leyva-Pérez, Antonio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Catalysts; Chemistry; Nitrogenation; Oxidation; Phosphorus; Two dimensional materials
• ISSN: 2046-2069; 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/d3ra07331a

Nitrogen (N 2 ) fixation is a key reaction in biological and industrial chemistry, which does not occur spontaneously under ambient conditions but often depends on very specific catalysts and harsh reaction processes. Here we show that exposing exfoliated black phosphorus to the open air triggers, concomitantly, the oxidation of the two-dimensional (2D) material and the fixation of up to 100 parts per million (0.01%) of N 2 on the surface. The fixation also occurs in pristine non-exfoliated material. Besides, other allotropic forms of phosphorus, like red P, also fixes N 2 during ambient oxidation, suggesting that the N 2 fixation process is intrinsic with phosphorus oxidation and does not depend on the chemical structure or the dimensionality of the solid. Despite the low amounts of N 2 fixed, this serendipitous discovery could have fundamental implications on the chemistry and environmental stability of phosphorous and the design of related catalysts for N 2 fixation. Nitrogen fixation occurs spontaneously during the oxidation of elemental phosphorus under ambient conditions, although in low extent (