DataVXAdvanced MaterialsPaper
journal article·2025-03Open access

Solar‐Driven Conversion of Nitrogen and Water to Solid Fertilizer in an Outdoor 1 m2 Panel Reactor

Jinhu Wang, Guangliu Ran, Junyu Gao, Dong Li, Geoffrey I. N. Waterhouse, Run Shi, Wenkai Zhang, Junwang Tang, Li‐Zhu Wu, Yunxuan Zhao, Tierui Zhang

Advanced Materials· Volume 37· Issue 10
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Source abstract

Abstract

Abstract Harnessing solar energy to convert molecular N2 into nitrogen‐rich chemicals (e.g., ammonia) provides a potential pathway for the manufacture of “solar fertilizers”. However, the solar‐to‐ammonia (STA) efficiency of most solar fertilizer systems developed to date is less than 0.1%. Herein, an outstanding STA efficiency of ≈0.3% using a metallic molybdenum trioxide (metallic MoO3‐x) photocatalyst under simulated‐solar irradiation is reported, with localized surface plasmon resonance phenomena in the metallic MoO3‐x photocatalyst enhancing both light utilization and N2 activation. The potential scalability of the photocatalytic technology is demonstrated in a 1 m2 panel reactor system, with a high STA efficiency and good stability demonstrated over 6 days of outdoor testing, yielding a solid (NH4)2SO4 product for easy collection. The as‐designed square‐meter outdoor reaction system facilitates the integration of solar fertilizer technology with existing agricultural infrastructure.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

Catalysis & surfaces

OpenAlex topics: Solar-Powered Water Purification Methods · TiO2 Photocatalysis and Solar Cells · Microbial Fuel Cells and Bioremediation

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

Affiliations

Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100190 P. R. China

Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 P. R. China

Department of Physics and Applied Optics Beijing Area Major Laboratory Center for Advanced Quantum Studies Beijing Normal University Beijing 100875 P. R. China

School of Chemical Sciences The University of Auckland Auckland 1142 New Zealand

Department of Chemical Engineering University College London Torrington Place London WC1E 7JE United Kingdom

Industrial Catalysis Center Department of Chemical Engineering Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 P. R. China

Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China · National Natural Science Foundation of China · MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology · Energy Education Trust of New Zealand · Key Technologies Research and Development Program of Anhui Province

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