Themed collection Nitrogen-cycle electrocatalysis
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Electrochemical frontiers in the nitrogen cycle
Xuping Sun, Jieshan Qiu and Chenghua Sun introduce this Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers themed collection on nitrogen cycle electrocatalysis.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2024,11, 2202-2204
https://doi.org/10.1039/D4QI90016B
Abiotic transformations of nitrogen mediated by iron sulfides and related species from early Earth to catalyst design
In this review, we aim to systematically investigate the interaction of nitrogen species with iron sulfides and related materials, with the goal of understanding how abiotic processes may have contributed to the evolution of enzymes responsible for nitrogen transformations.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 6792-6811
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI01553J
Investigating the role of oxygen vacancies in metal oxide for enhanced electrochemical reduction of NO3− to NH3: mechanistic insights
Ammonia (NH3) is a crucial chemical commodity used extensively in fertilizer production and as a renewable potential energy carrier.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 6440-6488
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI01536J
Recent developments and prospects for engineering first-row transition metal-based catalysts for electrocatalytic NOx− reduction to ammonia
First-row transition metal-based electrocatalysts, including Cu, Fe, Co, Ni, and Ti-based electrocatalysts, for high-efficiency NOx− reduction are reviewed. These electrocatalysts should possess three advantages indicated in the figure above.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 5225-5243
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI01113E
Recent developments in Ti-based nanocatalysts for electrochemical nitrate-to-ammonia conversion
Electrochemical NO3−-to-NH3 conversion is an available option for sewage treatment and ammonia synthesis. This review summarized the theoretical insights, design strategy and challenges of Ti-based electrocatalysts for NO3−-to-NH3 conversion.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 4901-4917
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI00732D
Recent progress in ammonia synthesis based on photoelectrocatalysis
Photoelectrocatalytic NH3 synthesis from N2 and H2O is a promising approach for N-neutralization goal based on catalytic strategies, such as vacancy engineering, ion doping, frustrated Lewis pair design, heterojunction construction, etc.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 4650-4667
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI00683B
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Opportunities and challenges in aqueous nitrate and nitrite reduction beyond electrocatalysis
Nitrate (NO3−) and nitrite (NO2−) ions are common health-threatening contaminants in water. Thermal catalytic hydrogenation is a promising strategy to reduce nitrate and nitrite during water treatment.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 4610-4631
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI00148B
Recent progress and strategies on the design of catalysts for electrochemical ammonia synthesis from nitrate reduction
This review summarizes recent advancements in catalysts for NH3 electrosynthesis from NO3−, highlights various strategies to regulate their apparent or intrinsic activities, and proposes the perspective and challenges in this emerging area.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 3489-3514
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI00554B
Prospect of Ru(edta) complexes in nitrogen cycle electrocatalysis: a mini review
This mini review chronicles the role of Ru(edta) (edta4− = ethylenediaminetetraacetate) towards catalysing the electrochemical transformation of nitrogen cycle reactions, elucidating the complex mechanistic schemes.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 1958-1964
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI00199G
“FeV-cofactor”-inspired bionic Fe-doped BiVO4 photocatalyst decorated with few-layer 2D black phosphorus for efficient nitrogen reduction
An in-built bionic FeV cofactor in Fe-BiVO4 catalyst decorated with 2D black phosphorus can not only adsorb and activate N2 molecules, but also promote carrier separation and transfer, thus improving photocatalytic nitrogen reduction performance.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 5004-5015
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI00895A
Synergetic effect between non-metals and dual metal catalysts for nitrogen reduction reaction
Nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is an essential process for ammonia synthesis. Synergetic effects, including the metal–metal and metal–ligands (non-metals) interactions, enhance the NRR performance.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 4746-4753
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI00517H
Enhancing the nitrogen reduction activity of iron with inactive group-IVA elements at optimized stoichiometry
Inert group-IVA elements can surprisingly enhance the e-N2RR capability of iron with an appropriate extent of alloying.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 4442-4449
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI00798G
A strong metal–support interaction strategy for enhanced binder-free electrocatalytic nitrate reduction
Fe/support catalysts exhibit excellent electrochemical NO3RR performance owing to the strong metal–support interaction (SMSI) between Fe active sites and supports.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 4526-4533
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI00793F
Core–shell heterojunction engineering of Co3O4/NiFe LDH nanosheets as bifunctional electrocatalysts for efficient reduction of nitrite to ammonia
Core–shell Co3O4/NiFe LDH heterostructured nanosheets serve as remarkable NO2−RR and OER bifunctional electrocatalysts for high-efficiency and low-cost ammonia production.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 4510-4518
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI00795B
Regulating the spin density of CoIII using boron-doped carbon dots for enhanced electrocatalytic nitrate reduction
Using B-doped carbon dots loading to change the electron spin density of magnetic Co3O4 results in excellent activity in the electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 3955-3962
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI00865G
Exploring the origin of the high electro-catalytic activity for nitrate-to-ammonia conversion on electrodeposited Ni/Ru hydroxide hybrids
The high activity of the electrodeposited Ni/Ru hydroxide hybrid was attributed to the interaction between Ru and oxidized Ni species formed in the Ru–O–Ni matrix, which promoted the conversion of nitrate to ammonia through the synergistic effect.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 3058-3064
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI00568B
Atomically isolated and unsaturated Sb sites created on Sb2S3 for highly selective NO electroreduction to NH3
Sb2S3 comprising atomically isolated and unsaturated Sb (SbAIU) sites is demonstrated as an efficient catalyst for NORR, attributed to the critical role of SbAIU sites in promoting NORR and inhibiting competitive hydrogen evolution.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 2708-2715
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI00268C
The β-PdBi2 monolayer for efficient electrocatalytic NO reduction to NH3: a computational study
β-PdBi2 was proposed as a novel NORR catalyst for NH3 synthesis with high efficiency and high selectivity, and its catalytic activity can be enhanced by a tensile strain.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 2677-2688
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI00225J
Integrating RuO2@TiO2 catalyzed electrochemical chlorine evolution with a NO oxidation reaction for nitrate synthesis
A highly efficient approach for nitrate synthesis is developed under ambient conditions. The electrochemical generation of active chloride species by RuO2@TiO2/TP in chlorine evolution reaction effectively convert NO to nitrate in the electrolyte.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 2100-2106
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3QI00209H
Rare-earth La-doped VS2−x for electrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia
A rare-earth La-doped VS2−x is reported as an effective catalyst for electrocatalytic nitrate-to-ammonia conversion, which is attributed to the synergy of La-dopants and S-vacancies to promote NO3RR and suppress hydrogen evolution.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 2014-2021
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2QI02757G
High-efficiency electrosynthesis of ammonia with selective reduction of nitrite over an Ag nanoparticle-decorated TiO2 nanoribbon array
An Ag nanoparticle-decorated TiO2 nanoribbon array on a titanium plate performs efficiently in electrocatalytic NO2− reduction to NH3, achieving a large NH3 yield of 8743.1 μg h−1 cm−2 with a high faradaic efficiency of 96.4%.
Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023,10, 1431-1435
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2QI02409H
About this collection
Welcome to the Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers themed collection - “Nitrogen-cycle electrocatalysis”.
Artificial N-cycle electrocatalysis with high flexibility, sustainability, and compatibility can convert intermittent renewable energy to harmless (nitrogen) or value-added chemicals (ammonia, nitrate, hydrazine, hydroxylamine, etc.). Guest edited by Xuping Sun (University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China), Jieshan Qiu (Beijing University of Chemical Technology, China), and Chenghua Sun (Swinburne University of Technology, Australia), this collection highlights new advances in the growing field of N-cycle electrocatalysis.