Issue 37, 2024

Improved ammonia production using Cu2O@poly-carbazole electrocatalysts in the electrochemical reduction of molecular nitrogen and nitrogen oxoanions

Abstract

In the present study, a Cu2O@PCz electrode for the nitrogen reduction reaction is proposed; this electrode takes advantage of the catalytic properties of Cu2O in conjunction with conducting polymers such as polycarbazole (PCz). This combination demonstrates an improvement in the catalytic activity and higher stability of this metal oxide in nitrogen electro-reduction reaction (NRR) and nitrogen oxoanion electro-reduction reaction (NORR) processes under aqueous conditions. On this basis, the material synthesized on FTO (SnO2 : F), Cu2O@PCz, exhibits a faradaic efficiency of around 38.83%, together with an NH3 productivity of 1.83 μg h−1 cm−2 in NRR type processes, on applying a potential of −0.8 V (V vs. Ag/AgCl). Similarly, in NORR type processes, the material exhibits NH3 and N2H4 productivity. The latter is the most relevant in terms of the yields obtained. Specifically, using nitrite (NO2), an efficiency of around 77.72% was obtained, together with a formation rate of 37.02 μg h−1 cm−2 at a potential of −0.8 V (V vs. Ag/AgCl). Although N2H4 is a by-product of ammonia formation, this molecule can be considered an intermediate, which broadens the scope of this study for future research into the production of green chemicals. Finally, this research presents promising new routes for the production of NH3 at room temperature, highlighting the potential of low-cost materials, easy synthesis, and enhanced stability.

Graphical abstract: Improved ammonia production using Cu2O@poly-carbazole electrocatalysts in the electrochemical reduction of molecular nitrogen and nitrogen oxoanions

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
26 4月 2024
Accepted
01 8月 2024
First published
06 8月 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2024,12, 25011-25021

Improved ammonia production using Cu2O@poly-carbazole electrocatalysts in the electrochemical reduction of molecular nitrogen and nitrogen oxoanions

L. Herrán, D. F. Veliz-Silva, C. Poblete, E. Leiva, J. Honores, E. Landaeta, M. Sancy, R. D. Río, C. Sáez-Navarrete, E. Dalchiele and M. Isaacs, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2024, 12, 25011 DOI: 10.1039/D4TA02904F

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements