Engineering vacancy and hydrophobicity of two-dimensional TaTe₂ for efficient and stable electrocatalytic N₂ reduction.

ABSTRACT: Demand for ammonia continues to increase to sustain the growing global population. The direct electrochemical N₂ reduction reaction (NRR) powered by renewable electricity offers a promising carbon-neutral and sustainable strategy for manufacturing NH₃, yet achieving this remains a grand challenge. Here, we report a synergistic strategy to promote ambient NRR for ammonia production by tuning the Te vacancies (V_Te) and surface hydrophobicity of two-dimensional TaTe₂ nanosheets. Remarkable NH₃ faradic efficiency of up to 32.2% is attained at a mild overpotential, which is largely maintained even after 100 h of consecutive electrolysis. Isotopic labeling validates that the N atoms of formed NH₄ ⁺ originate from N

SUBMITTER: Zhao Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8693264 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature