In:
Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), Vol. 10, No. 12 ( 2023), p. 3489-3514
Abstract:
Ammonia (NH 3 ) is an essential raw material in the production of fertilizers and a promising carbon-free energy carrier, however, its synthesis still depends on the energy- and capital-intensive Haber–Bosch process. Recently, the electrochemical N 2 reduction reaction has attracted significant interest as an emerging method for NH 3 synthesis under ambient conditions. However, the limited solubility of N 2 in aqueous electrolyte and the strong NN bonds result in a low NH 3 yield rate, inferior faradaic efficiency and unsatisfactory selectivity, impeding its further practical application. Considering the high water solubility of nitrate (NO 3 − ), the electrochemical NO 3 − reduction reaction (NO 3 − RR) has become a fascinating route for achieving sustainable production of NH 3 , and enormous progress has been made in this field. As a consequence, this review discusses the reaction mechanism of the electrochemical reduction of NO 3 − and systematically summarizes the recent development of electrocatalysts for the NO 3 − RR, including noble-metal-based materials, single-atom metal catalysts, and transition-metal-based catalysts. Diverse design strategies of the catalysts to boost the NO 3 − RR performance, such as defect engineering, rational structure design, strain engineering and constructing heterostructures, are discussed. This is followed by an illustration of how a robust understanding of the optimization strategies affords fundamental insights into the NH 3 yield rate, faradaic efficiency, and selectivity of the electrocatalysts. Finally, we conclude with future perspectives on the critical issues, challenges and research directions in the design of high-efficiency electrocatalysts for selective reduction of NO 3 − to NH 3 .
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2052-1553
Language:
English
Publisher:
Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Publication Date:
2023
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