Oxygen-deficient SnO_(2)nanoparticles with ultrathin carbon shell for efficient electrocatalytic N_(2)reduction

For high-efficiency NH_(3)synthesis via ambient-condition electrohydrogenation of inert N_(2),it is pivotal to ingeniously design an active electrocatalyst with multiple features of abundant surfacial deficiency,good conductivity and large surface area.Here,oxygen-deficient SnO_(2)nanoparticles encapsulated by ultrathin carbon layer(d-SnO_(2)@C)are developed by hydrothermal deposition coupled with annealing process,as promising catalysts for ambient electrocatalytic N_(2)reduction.d-SnO_(2)@C exhibits high activity and excellent selectivity for electrocatalytic conversion of N_(2)to NH_(3)in acidic electrolytes,with Faradic efficiency as high as 12.7%at-0.15 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE)and large NH_(3)yield rate of 16.68μg h^(-1)mgcat^(-1)at-0.25 V vs.RHE in 0.1 mol L^(-1)HCl.Benefiting from the structural superiority of enhanced charge transfer efficiency and optimized surface states,d-SnO_(2)@C also achieves excellent long-term stability.