A physical catalyst for the electrolysis of nitrogen to ammonia

Ammonia synthesis consumes 3 to 5% of the world’s natural gas, making it a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Strategies for synthesizing ammonia that are not dependent on the energy-intensive and methane-based Haber-Bosch process are critically important for reducing global energy consumption and minimizing climate change. Motivated by a need to investigate novel nitrogen fixation mechanisms, we herein describe a highly textured physical catalyst, composed of N-doped carbon nanospikes, that electrochemically reduces dissolved N₂ gas to ammonia in an aqueous electrolyte under ambient conditions. The Faradaic efficiency (FE) achieves 11.56 ± 0.85% at −1.19 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode, and the maximum production rate is 97.18 ± 7.13 mg hour⁻¹ cm⁻². The catalyst contains no noble or rare metals but rather has a surface composed of sharp spikes, which concentrates the electric field at the tips, thereby promoting the electroreduction of dissolved N₂ molecules near the electrode. The choice of electrolyte is also critically important because the reaction rate is dependent on the counterion type, suggesting a role in enhancing the electric field at the sharp spikes and increasing N₂ concentration within the Stern layer. The energy efficiency of the reaction is estimated to be 5.25% at the current FE of 11.56%.