Fe foam supported FeVO4 nanoparticles for electrochemical nitrogen fixation at ambient conditions
As global energy demand continues to rise with fossil fuels dwindling at a faster rate, posing energy and environmental concerns, there is a growing interest in exploring alternative, green, and renewable energy sources. Ammonia is a key hydrogen energy carrier and precursor to many value-added prod...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Tsinghua University Press
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Nano Research Energy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NRE.2025.9120161 |
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| Summary: | As global energy demand continues to rise with fossil fuels dwindling at a faster rate, posing energy and environmental concerns, there is a growing interest in exploring alternative, green, and renewable energy sources. Ammonia is a key hydrogen energy carrier and precursor to many value-added products, and the efforts for its generation at commercial scale using greener methods are intensifying to mitigate the reliance on the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process. The electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (e-NRR) is a highly promising way of synthesizing ammonia under energy-efficient, green, and ambient conditions. Despite its attractive potential, the activity and efficiency of conventional e-NRR catalysts are still a major concern due to low selectivity and poor ammonia yields. Inspired by the FeFe and FeV cofactors present in nitrogenases, this study reports the synthesis and electrocatalytic evaluation of FeVO4 catalyst for N2 reduction. The FeVO4 nanoparticles anchored on Fe foam (FF) could serve as an efficient electrocatalyst for the electrochemical nitrogen fixation, achieving a significant performance with highest NH3 yield of 22.5 µg·h–1·mg–1 and Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 20.74% at –0.2 VRHE in 0.1 M Na2SO4. The FeVO4 electrocatalyst exhibited robust electrochemical stability for 24 h of operation at –0.2 VRHE. The high catalytic performance originated from the synergistic interactions between Fe and V which serve as dual electron donation centers for effective e-NRR. Furthermore, the coupling interaction between FeVO4 and FF support exposed abundant intrinsic active sites and facilitated beneficial charge transfer further inducing superior e-NRR activity. Density functional theory (DFT) computations disclosed that surface Fe atoms are the main active centers for e-NRR which proceed via the alternating pathway. |
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| ISSN: | 2791-0091 2790-8119 |