Continuous ammonia synthesis from water and nitrogen via contact electrification.

ABSTRACT: We synthesized ammonia (NH₃) by bubbling nitrogen (N₂) gas into bulk liquid water (200 mL) containing 50 mg polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) particles (~5 µm in diameter) suspended with the help of a surfactant (Tween 20, ~0.05 vol.%) at room temperature (25 °C). Electron spin resonance spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations reveal that water acts as the proton donor for the reduction of N₂. Moreover, isotopic labeling of the N₂ gas shows that it is the source of nitrogen in the ammonia. We propose a mechanism for ammonia generation based on the activation of N₂ caused by electron transfer and reduction processes driven by contact electrification. We optimized the pH of the PTFE suspension at 6.5 to 7.0 and employed ultr

SUBMITTER: Li J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10823170 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature