Highly active manganese nitride-europium nitride catalyst for ammonia synthesis
Jiemin Wang,
Lin Liu,
Ruili Li,
Shangshang Wang,
Xiaohua Ju,
Teng He,
Jianping Guo,
Ping Chen
Affiliations
Jiemin Wang
School of Chemistry, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P.R. China; Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, P.R. China
Lin Liu
Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, P.R. China; Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P.R. China; Corresponding author
Ruili Li
Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, P.R. China; Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, P.R. China
Shangshang Wang
Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, P.R. China; Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
Xiaohua Ju
Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, P.R. China
Teng He
Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, P.R. China; Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
Jianping Guo
Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, P.R. China; Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P.R. China; Corresponding author
Ping Chen
Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, P.R. China; Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
Summary: The development of efficient catalysts for ammonia synthesis under mild conditions is critical for establishing a carbon-neutral society powered by renewable ammonia. While significant effort has been focused on Fe and Ru-based catalysts, there have been very limited studies on manganese-based catalysts for ammonia synthesis because of their low intrinsic catalytic activity. Herein, we report that the synergy between manganese nitride (Mn4N) and europium nitride (EuN) yields an ammonia synthesis rate that is 41 and 25 times higher than that of neat Mn4N and EuN, respectively. Detailed studies suggest that a [Eu-N-Mn] species at the interface of Mn4N and EuN plays a pivotal role in ammonia synthesis. Compositing of Mn4N with other rare earth metal nitrides such as LaN, PrN, and CeN also leads to a significant enhancement in catalytic activity. This work broadens the scope of advanced nitride catalysts for ammonia synthesis.
