Electrochemical Reduction of Nitrogen to Ammonia Using Zinc Telluride.

ABSTRACT: Electrosynthesis of ammonia (NH₃), an important constituent molecule of various commercial fertilizers, is a promising and sustainable alternative strategy compared with the century-old Haber-Bosch process. Herein, zinc telluride (ZnTe) is demonstrated as an efficient electrocatalyst for reducing nitrogen (N₂) under ambient conditions to NH₃. In this simple chemical strategy, Zn preferentially binds N₂ over hydrogen (H₂), and Te, by virtue of its superior electronic properties, enhances the electrocatalytic activity of ZnTe. The analysis of the X-ray diffraction data using the Bravais-Friedel-Donnay-Harker (BFDH) theory predicted a crystal geometry with the active electrocatalytic sites predominantly confined to the (111) planes of ZnT

SUBMITTER: Mane SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11565284 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature