Shenzhen University. Institute of Microscale Optoelectronics, 518060, China.
Jiangsu University. Research School of Polymeric Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhenjiang, 212013, China.
Chemosphere. 2023 Oct;338:139621. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139621. Epub 2023 Jul 22.
The earth's nitrogen cycle relies on the effective conversion of nitrogen (N) to ammonia (NH). As a result, the research and development of catalysts that are earth-abundant, inexpensive, and highly efficient but do not need precious metals is of the utmost significance. In this investigation, we present a controlled synthesis technique to the fabrication of an iron oxide (FeO) nanosheet array by annealing at temperatures ranging from 350 to 550 °C. This array will be used for the electrochemical reduction of atmospheric N2 to NH3 in electrolytes. The FeO nanosheet array that was produced as a result displays outstanding electrochemical performance as well as remarkable stability. When compared to a hydrogen electrode working under normal temperature and pressure conditions, the FeO nanosheet array produces an impressive NH3 production rate of 18.04 g per hour per mg of catalytically active material in 0.1 M KOH electrolyte, exhibiting an enhanced Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 13.5% at -0.35 V. This is accomplished by exhibiting an enhanced Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 0.1 M KOH electrolyte. The results of experiments and electrochemical studies reveal that the existence of cation defects in the FeO nanosheets plays an essential part in the enhancement of the electrocatalytic activity that takes place during nitrogen reduction reactions (NRR). This study not only contributes to the expanding family of transition-metal-based catalysts with increased electrocatalytic activity for NRR, but it also represents a substantial breakthrough in the design of catalysts that are based on transition metals, so it's a win-win. In addition, the use of FeO nanosheets as electrocatalysts has a lot of potential in algal membrane bioreactors because it makes nitrogen fixation easier, it encourages algae growth, and it makes nitrogen cycling more resource-efficient.
地球的氮循环依赖于将氮气（N）有效转化为氨（NH）。因此，研究和开发丰富、廉价且高效的催化剂而无需使用贵金属至关重要。在这项研究中，我们提出了一种通过在 350 至 550°C 温度下退火来制备氧化铁（FeO）纳米片阵列的控制合成技术。该阵列将用于在电解质中电化学还原大气 N2 为 NH3。由此产生的 FeO 纳米片阵列表现出出色的电化学性能和显著的稳定性。与在常温常压下工作的氢电极相比，FeO 纳米片阵列在 0.1 M KOH 电解质中每毫克催化活性材料每小时可产生令人印象深刻的 18.04 g NH3，在-0.35 V 时表现出增强的法拉第效率（FE）为 13.5%。这是通过在 0.1 M KOH 电解质中表现出增强的法拉第效率（FE）来实现的。实验和电化学研究的结果表明，FeO 纳米片中阳离子缺陷的存在对增强氮还原反应（NRR）过程中的电催化活性起着至关重要的作用。这项研究不仅为基于过渡金属的电催化剂家族增添了具有增强 NRR 电催化活性的成员，而且在设计基于过渡金属的催化剂方面取得了重大突破，因此是双赢的。此外，FeO 纳米片作为电催化剂在藻类膜生物反应器中具有很大的潜力，因为它使固氮更容易，促进藻类生长，并使氮循环更具资源效率。
