Enabling electrochemical conversion of N2 to NH3 under ambient conditions by a CoP3 nanoneedle array†
Abstract
The Haber–Bosch process for industrial-scale NH3 production suffers from hash reaction conditions and serious greenhouse gas emission. Electrochemical N2 reduction is a sustainable and environmentally-benign alternative for ambient NH3 synthesis while demands efficient electrocatalysts to drive the N2 reduction reaction. Herein, we report the ambient electrocatalytic N2-to-NH3 conversion with excellent selectivity enabled by a CoP3 nanoneedle array on carbon cloth (CoP3/CC). When tested in 0.1 M Na2SO4, such CoP3/CC achieves a high faradaic efficiency of 11.94% with an NH3 yield of 3.61 × 10−11 mol s−1 cm−2 at −0.20 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode. It also demonstrates high durability.