Hamsa Ashida P, Arulprakasam Muraliraj, Unni Sreekuttan M
CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute Madras Unit, CSIR Madras Complex, Taramani, Chennai 600113, Tamil Nadu, India.
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India.
Chem Commun (Camb). 2023 Sep 7;59(72):10689-10710. doi: 10.1039/d3cc02229c.
The electrochemical reduction of nitrogen (eNRR) offers a promising alternative to the Haber-Bosch (H-B) process for producing ammonia under moderate conditions. However, the inertness of dinitrogen and the competing hydrogen evolution reaction pose significant challenges for eNRR. Thus, developing more efficient electrocatalysts requires a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanistic reactions and electrocatalytic activity. Single atom catalysts, which offer tunable catalytic properties and increased selectivity, have emerged as a promising avenue for eNRR. Carbon and metal-based substrates have proven effective for dispersing highly active single atoms that can enhance eNRR activity. In this review, we explore the use of atomically dispersed single atoms on different substrates for eNRR from both conceptual and experimental perspectives. The review is divided into four sections: the first section describes eNRR mechanistic pathways, the second section focuses on single metal atom catalysts (SMACs) with metal atoms dispersed on carbon substrates for eNRR, the third section covers SMACs with metal atoms dispersed on non-carbon substrates for eNRR, and the final section summarizes the remaining challenges and future scope of eNRR for green ammonia production.
电化学氮还原反应（eNRR）为在温和条件下生产氨提供了一种有望替代哈伯-博施法（H-B法）的方法。然而，氮气的惰性以及竞争性析氢反应给eNRR带来了重大挑战。因此，开发更高效的电催化剂需要更深入地了解潜在的机理反应和电催化活性。单原子催化剂具有可调的催化性能和更高的选择性，已成为eNRR的一个有前景的途径。碳基和金属基载体已被证明可有效分散高活性单原子，从而提高eNRR活性。在本综述中，我们从概念和实验两个角度探讨了在不同载体上原子分散的单原子用于eNRR的情况。综述分为四个部分：第一部分描述eNRR的机理途径，第二部分聚焦于金属原子分散在碳载体上用于eNRR的单金属原子催化剂（SMACs），第三部分涵盖金属原子分散在非碳载体上用于eNRR的SMACs，最后一部分总结了eNRR在绿色氨生产方面剩余的挑战和未来的发展前景。
