Electrocatalytic Generation of Ammonia from Air and Water

其目的是在温和的条件下，利用可再生能源，通过基于单片和复合材料的新型纳米结构电催化剂，直接转化氮气，生成用于化肥和燃料的氨。与使用三电极系统的固氮不同，该项目将使用一种新型的混合气液相电催化还原氮气的双电极反应器。它以燃料电池为基础，旨在加速自然缓慢的氮气还原反应NRR，显著提高反应速度和选择性。该项目还将基于在拉曼或X射线吸收等操作条件下使用的原位光谱仪，从原子水平上了解NRR的机制。

The aim is to directly convert nitrogen under mild conditions, using renewable power, to form ammonia for fertilisers and fuels, enabled by new, nanostructured, electrocatalysts based on single-sheet and composite materials. Unlike nitrogen fixation using a three-electrode system, the project will use a novel mixed gas- and liquid-phase electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction two-electrode reactor. Based on fuel cells, it is designed to accelerate the naturally sluggish nitrogen reduction reaction, NRR, significantly improving the reaction rate and selectivity. The project will also gain atomic-level understanding of the mechanism of NRR, based on in-situ spectroscopies used under operando conditions, e.g., Raman or X-ray absorption.