Dual nitrogen and oxygen vacancy-enhanced plasma catalysis for mild NH3 synthesis

Abstract

Plasma-assisted NH₃ synthesis has recently emerged as a promising complementary approach to the Haber–Bosch process for decentralized and sustainable NH₃ production. Here, we introduce an ingenious catalyst design strategy featuring “dual vacancies” that significantly enhances the Mars–van Krevelen (MvK) pathway on a TiN/TiO₂ catalyst, enabling high-efficiency NH₃ production under mild conditions. Using this strategy, we achieved a superhigh NH₃ yield of 226.3 mg h⁻¹ g_cat.⁻¹, surpassing the catalytic activity of most reported catalysts.