A two-dimensional Ru@MXene catalyst for highly selective ambient electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction

Abstract

Compared with the traditional Haber–Bosch process, electrochemical ammonia synthesis has attracted much attention owing to its low energy consumption, low pollution potential, and sustainability. However, owing to the influence of high overpotential and low selectivity, the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) process was of limited applicability in industry. Here, we report a high-performance Ru@Ti₃C₂ MXene catalyst for an ambient electrocatalytic NRR. In a 0.1 M KOH electrolyte, the NH₃ yield of the Ru@MXene catalyst reached 2.3 μmol h⁻¹ cm⁻², furthermore, at −0.4 V (vs. RHE) the Faraday efficiency was 13.13%.