In situ nano Au triggered by a metal boron organic polymer: efficient electrochemical N₂ fixation to NH₃ under ambient conditions

Ammonia has been obtained from the Haber–Bosch process for decades, which requires an unendurably high temperature and high pressure. Alternatively, electrochemical conversion of N₂ to NH₃ turns out to be a promising method with much lower energy consumption and accessible reaction conditions. In this work, a novel nano-gold catalyst supported on a boron organic polymer (Au/M-BOP) was prepared and achieved both excellent ammonia yield and faradaic efficiency at low potential (r(NH₃): 45.54 μg h⁻¹ cm⁻² or 75.89 μg h⁻¹ mg_cat.⁻¹ FE: 10.35%), results that are close to the top of the pyramid compared to published literature results. Moreover, the catalyst is conveniently accessible through a pre-immobilized in situ reduction, and can maintain its electrocatalytic activity for multiple uses, which could have potential implications in the industrialization of the electrocatalytic production of ammonia.