Nanostructured and Boron-Doped Diamond as an Electrocatalyst for Nitrogen Fixation

Bin Liu; Yongping Zheng; Hui-Qing Peng; Bifa Ji; Yang Yang; Yongbing Tang; Chun-Sing Lee; Wenjun Zhang

doi:10.1021/acsenergylett.0c01317

journal article·2020-08-14

Nanostructured and Boron-Doped Diamond as an Electrocatalyst for Nitrogen Fixation

Bin Liu, Yongping Zheng, Hui-Qing Peng, Bifa Ji, Yang Yang, Yongbing Tang, Chun-Sing Lee, Wenjun Zhang

ACS Energy Letters· Volume 5· Issue 8

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Source abstract

Abstract

The advance of the synthesis of ammonia through nitrogen electroreduction under ambient conditions is seriously impeded by the lack of an efficient electrocatalyst that can facilitate multiple proton-coupled electron-transfer processes and suppress the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction required for a high nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) selectivity. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time that boron-doped and nanostructured diamond can be used as an electrocatalyst for NRR, which affords a high NH3 yield rate of 19.1 μg h–1 cm–2, a Faradaic efficiency as high as 21.2%, and a stable operation of at least 8 days under ambient conditions. Substitutional boron atoms are illustrated to be capable of initiating the NRR active centers, and charge accumulation on the nanostructured diamond surface enables further enhancement of catalytic activity through reducing the reaction free energy for the rate-determining step of the NRR on certain surfaces.

Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline

Research context

Nanomaterials Catalysis & surfaces

OpenAlex topics: Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction · Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques · Muon and positron interactions and applications

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films (COSDAF) & Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China

Functional Thin Films Research Center, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China

Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films (COSDAF) & Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China

Funding

City University of Hong Kong · National Natural Science Foundation of China

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