Photocatalytic Plasmon‐Enhanced Nitrogen Reduction to Ammonia

Abstract

Nitrogen reduction to ammonia under ambient conditions is an emerging area of research sparked by the increasing concerns over climate change which is driving the efforts to find alternatives to energy‐intensive Haber–Bosch process. Ammonia is a critical component in the manufacturing of fertilizers and is required to support the global food supply. It can also be used as a fuel source to generate electricity. Many strategies have been used to drive nitrogen reduction under milder conditions including incorporation of plasmonic nanomaterials. The ability of plasmonic nanomaterials to strongly interact with light, resulting in near‐field enhancement, hot charge‐carrier generation and injection, increase in local temperature, has made them attractive candidates for catalysis. This review provides a comprehensive survey of recent developments in photocatalytic, plasmon‐enhanced nitrogen conversion to ammonia and the proposed mechanisms for the increased catalytic activity. A brief outlook on the current challenges and future directions is also provided.

Keywords

• catalysis
• energy conversion
• nitrogen reduction
• plasmonics
• solar energy