Nanoengineering Metal–Organic Frameworks and Derivatives for Electrosynthesis of Ammonia

Electrocatalytic synthesis under mild conditions has become increasingly important as one of the practical alternatives for industrial applications,especially for the green ammonia(NH_(3))industry.A properly engineered electrocatalyst plays a vital role in the realization of superior catalytic performance.Among various types of promising nanomaterials,metal–organic frameworks(MOFs)are competitive candidates for developing efficient electrocatalytic NH_(3) synthesis from simple nitrogen-containing molecules or ions,such as N_(2) and NO_(3)^(−).In this review,recent advances in the development of electrocatalysts derived from MOFs for the electrosynthesis of NH_(3) are collected,categorized,and discussed,including their application in the N_(2) reduction reaction(NRR)and the NO_(3)^(−)reduction reaction(NO3RR).Firstly,the fundamental principles are illustrated,such as plausible mechanisms of NH_(3) generation from N_(2) and NO_(3)^(−),the apparatus of corresponding electrocatalysis,parameters for evaluation of reaction efficiency,and detection methods of yielding NH_(3).Then,the electrocatalysts for NRR processes are discussed in detail,including pristine MOFs,MOF-hybrids,MOF-derived N-doped porous carbons,single atomic catalysts from pyrolysis of MOFs,and other MOF-related materials.Subsequently,MOF-related NO3RR processes are also listed and discussed.Finally,the existing challenges and prospects for the rational design and fabrication of electrocatalysts from MOFs for electrochemical NH_(3) synthesis are presented,such as the evolution of investigation methods with artificial intelligence,innovation in synthetic methods of MOF-related catalysts,advancement of characterization techniques,and extended electrocatalytic reactions.

Unveiling the size effect of nitrogen-doped carbon-supported copper-based catalysts on nitrate-to-ammonia electroreduction

The electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction(NitRR)represents a promising approach toward achieving economically and environmentally sustainable ammonia.However,it remains a challenge to regulate the size effect of electrocatalysts to optimize the catalytic activity and ammonia selectivity.Herein,the Cu-based catalysts were tailored at the atomic level to exhibit a size gradient ranging from single-atom catalysts(SACs,0.15–0.35 nm)to single-cluster catalysts(SCCs,1.0–2.8 nm)and nanoparticles(NPs,20–30 nm),with the aim of studying the size effect for the NO_(3)^(-)-to-NH_(3) reduction reaction.Especially,the Cu SCCs exhibit enhanced metal–substrate and metal–metal interactions by taking advantageous features of Cu SACs and Cu NPs.Thus,Cu SCCs achieve exceptional electrocatalytic performance for the NitRR with a maximum Faradaic efficiency of ca.96%NH_(3)and the largest yield rate of ca.1.99 mg·h^(-1)·cm^(-2) at-0.5 V vs.reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE).The theoretical calculation further reveals the size effect and coordination environment on the high catalytic activity and selectivity for the NitRR.This work provides a promising various size-controlled design strategy for aerogel-based catalysts effectively applied in various electrocatalytic reactions.

Efficient ammonia production over e_(g)-occupancy-optimized perovskite electrocatalysts

Renewable-energy-driven nitrate(NO_(3)^(−))electroreduction to ammonia(NH_(3))(NERA)has been an attractive technology for decarbonizing NH_(3)production and wastewater treatment.Improving NERA efficiency requires electrocatalysts that are earth-abundant and show fantastic performance.Here we report a semiempirical activity descriptor of eg occupancy(of surface B-site cations)for identifying inexpensive perovskite oxides with extremely high efficacy toward NERA.We establish the descriptor by systematic investigations of more than 10 perovskite oxides.These investigations demonstrate that their intrinsic NERA activities display a volcano-shaped dependence on eg occupancy and the optimized intrinsic activities are accessible at near-1 eg occupancies.This could plausibly be attributed to the favorable overlaps between surface adsorbates and vertically-oriented eg orbitals.More importantly,utilizing this descriptor,we predict a highly active,selective,and durable NERA electrocatalyst with a composition of Ba_(0.5)Sr_(0.5)Co_(0.8)Fe_(0.2)O_(3−δ)(BSCF).Because of its close-to-1 e_(g)occupancy(i.e.~1.2),the BSCF features a superior NH_(3)production rate of 0.12 g·h^(−1)·mg_(cat.)^(−1)(Faradaic efficiency of 97.8%)that is at top of the volcano plot,and substantially outperforms most NERA electrocatalysts reported in literature.

MoC nanocrystals confined in N-doped carbon nanosheets toward highly selective electrocatalytic nitric oxide reduction to ammonia

Electrochemical nitric oxide reduction reaction(NORR)to produce ammonia(NH3)under ambient conditions is a promising alternative to the energy and carbon-intensive Haber–Bosch approach,but its performance is still improved.Herein,molybdenum carbides(MoC)nanocrystals confined by nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets are first designed as an efficient and durable electrocatalyst for catalyzing the reduction of NO to NH3 with maximal Faradaic efficiency of 89%±2%and a yield rate of 1,350±15μg·h^(−1)·cm^(−2) at the applied potential of−0.8 V vs.reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE)as well as high stable activity with negligible current density and NH3 yield rate decays over a 30 h continue the test.Moreover,as a proof-of-concept of Zn–NO battery,it achieves a peak power density of 1.8 mW·cm^(−2) and a large NH3 yield rate of 782±10μg·h^(−1)·cm^(−2),which are comparable to the best-reported results.Theoretical calculations reveal that the MoC(111)has a strong electronic interaction with NO molecules and thus lowering the energy barrier of the potential-determining step and suppressing hydrogen evolution kinetics.This work suggests that Mo-based materials are a powerful platform providing great opportunities to explore highly selective and active catalysts for NH3 production.

Enhanced N_(2)-to-NH_(3)conversion efficiency on Cu3P nanoribbon electrocatalyst

Ambient electroreduction of nitrogen(N_(2))is considered as a green and feasible approach for ammonia(NH_(3))synthesis,which urgently demands for efficient electrocatalyst.Morphology has close relationship with catalytic activity of heterogeneous catalysts.Nanoribbon is attractive nanostructure,which possesses the flexibility of one-dimensional nanomaterials,the large surface area of two-dimensional nanomaterials,and lateral size confinement effects.In this work,Cu_(3)P nanoribbon is proposed as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for N_(2)-to-NH_(3)conversion under benign conditions.When measured in N_(2)-saturated 0.1 M HCl,such Cu_(3)P nanoribbon achieves high performance with an excellent Faradaic efficiency as high as 37.8%and a large yield of 18.9μg·h^(−1)·mgcat.−1 at−0.2 V.It also demonstrates outstanding stability in long-term electrolysis test at least for 45 h.