Nature Communications (Aug 2018)

High-performance artificial nitrogen fixation at ambient conditions using a metal-free electrocatalyst

  • Weibin Qiu,
  • Xiao-Ying Xie,
  • Jianding Qiu,
  • Wei-Hai Fang,
  • Ruping Liang,
  • Xiang Ren,
  • Xuqiang Ji,
  • Guanwei Cui,
  • Abdullah M. Asiri,
  • Ganglong Cui,
  • Bo Tang,
  • Xuping Sun

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05758-5
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Electrochemical reduction of nitrogen is a promising route to industrial-scale nitrogen fixation at ambient conditions, but is challenged by activation of inert nitrogen. Here the authors report a metal-free catalyst that selectively reduces nitrogen to ammonia with high efficiency and stability.