Electrocatalytic Generation of Ammonia from Air and Water

目标是在温和的条件下直接转化氮，使用可再生能源，形成用于肥料和燃料的氨，这是由基于单片和复合材料的新型纳米结构电催化剂实现的。与使用三电极系统的固氮不同，该项目将使用一种新型混合气相和液相电催化氮还原双电极反应器。它以燃料电池为基础，旨在加速自然缓慢的氮还原反应NRR，显著提高反应速率和选择性。该项目还将基于在操作条件下使用的原位光谱，例如拉曼或x射线吸收，获得对NRR机制的原子级理解。

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.