Interface engineering of CoS/MoS2 heterostructure for the electrocatalytic reduction of N2 to NH3

Yixian Liu; Ruqiang Wu; Yunliang Liu; Peiji Deng; Yaxi Li; Yuanyuan Cheng; Yongchao Du; Zenan Li; Xiong Yan; Naiyun Liu; Zhenhui Kang; Haitao Li

doi:10.1039/D3QI01139A

Interface engineering of CoS/MoS₂ heterostructure for the electrocatalytic reduction of N₂ to NH₃†

Yixian Liu,‡^ab Ruqiang Wu,‡^a Yunliang Liu,^a Peiji Deng,^a Yaxi Li,^a Yuanyuan Cheng,^a Yongchao Du,^a Zenan Li,^c Xiong Yan,^c Naiyun Liu,*^a Zhenhui Kang

*^cd and Haitao Li

*^a

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* Corresponding authors

^a Institute for Energy Research, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
E-mail: liuny@ujs.edu.cn, zhkang@suda.edu.cn, liht@ujs.edu.cn

^b China National Textile and Apparel Council KeyLaboratory of Flexible Devices for Intelligent Textile and Apparel, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China

^c Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China

^d Macao Institute of Materials Science and Engineering (MIMSE), MUST–SUDA Joint Research Center for Advanced Functional Materials, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa 999078, Macao, China

Abstract

As an environmentally friendly and sustainable method for ammonia synthesis, nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) by electrocatalysis possesses several advantages, including viability under mild conditions, abundant reaction raw materials and low energy consumption, and thus it is supposed to be a promising alternative to the traditional Haber–Bosch process. However, the stable N [triple bond, length as m-dash] N bonds in the nitrogen (N₂) and the competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) put harsh requirements on catalysts. In this study, the CoS/MoS₂ heterojunction catalyst where CoS nanoparticles are anchored on the MoS₂ nanosheets is reported as a high-efficiency NRR catalyst. The catalysts have high NH₃ yield (23.23 μg h⁻¹ mg_cat.⁻¹), reasonable faradaic efficiency (FE, 12.63%) and long-term electrochemical stability under −0.45 V vs. RHE in 0.1 M Na₂SO₄ solution, whose performance is better than MoS₂ and CoS. The TPV results show rapid interfacial electron transfer and good conductivity of the material, and the DFT calculation reveals that the CoS attached to the (100) plane effectively enhances N₂ adsorption and catalysis performance.

Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers

Interface engineering of CoS/MoS₂ heterostructure for the electrocatalytic reduction of N₂ to NH₃†

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Interface engineering of CoS/MoS₂ heterostructure for the electrocatalytic reduction of N₂ to NH₃

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Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers