Ultrasmall V8C7 nanoparticles embedded in conductive carbon for efficient electrocatalytic N2 reduction toward ambient NH3 production

Abstract

As a carbon-neutral alternative to the Haber–Bosch process, electrochemical N₂ reduction offers an eco-friendly and sustainable approach to produce NH₃, but it needs active electrocatalysts for the N₂ reduction reaction (NRR). In this communication, we report that vanadium carbide nanoparticles/carbon sphere (V₈C₇/C) acts as a high-performance NRR electrocatalyst under ambient conditions. In 0.1 M HCl, such V₈C₇/C achieves a large NH₃ yield of 34.62 μg h⁻¹ mg_cat.⁻¹ and a high faradaic efficiency of 12.20% at −0.40 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode. Notably, V₈C₇/C also shows both strong electrochemical stability and high NH₃ selectivity.