Mn3O4 nanoparticles@reduced graphene oxide composite: An efficient electrocatalyst for artificial N2 fixation to NH3 at ambient conditions

• Published in: Nano research Vol. 12; no. 5; pp. 1093 - 1098
• Main Authors: Huang, Hong, Gong, Feng, Wang, Yuan, Wang, Huanbo, Wu, Xiufeng, Lu, Wenbo, Zhao, Runbo, Chen, Hongyu, Shi, Xifeng, Asiri, Abdullah M., Li, Tingshuai, Liu, Qian, Sun, Xuping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Tsinghua University Press 01.05.2019
• Subjects: Ammonia; Atomic/Molecular Structure and Spectra; Biomedicine; Biotechnology; Carbon dioxide; Carbon dioxide emissions; Catalysis; Catalysts; Chemical reduction; Chemistry and Materials Science; Condensed Matter Physics; Density functional theory; Electrocatalysts; Electrochemistry; Electrolysis; Graphene; Haber Bosch process; Manganese oxides; Materials Science; Nanoparticles; Nanotechnology; Nitrogen fixation; Nitrogenation; Research Article; Selectivity; Sodium sulfate; synthesis; Mn; electrocatalyst; @rGO composite; ambient conditions; reduction reaction; NH; N; O
• ISSN: 1998-0124; 1998-0000
• DOI: 10.1007/s12274-019-2352-5

Currently, industrial-scale NH 3 production almost relies on energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process from atmospheric N 2 with large amount of CO 2 emission, while low-cost and high-efficient catalysts are demanded for the N 2 reduction reaction (NRR). In this study, Mn 3 O 4 nanoparticles@reduced graphene oxide (Mn 3 O 4 @rGO) composite is reported as an efficient NRR electrocatalyst with excellent selectivity for NH 3 formation. In 0.1 M Na 2 SO 4 solution, such catalyst obtains a NH 3 yield of 17.4 μg·h −1 ·mg −1 cat . and a Faradaic efficiency of 3.52% at −0.85 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode. Notably, it also shows high electrochemical stability during electrolysis process. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations also demonstrate that the (112) planes of Mn 3 O 4 possess superior NRR activity.