Electrochemical N2 reduction
reaction (ENRR) at ambient
temperature is a futuristic method for the artificial synthesis of
ammonia, but it is still not efficient enough to be applied on a large
scale. Inspired by the molybdenum-containing nitrogen-fixing enzymes
of rhizobia in nature, single Mo sites are predicted to serve as an
effective catalyst for ENRR. Herein, B/N codoped porous carbon nanotube-supported
single Mo site catalysts (Mo/BCN) were rationally designed and synthesized.
Mo/BCN exhibits the highest catalytic activity toward N2 fixation to NH3 with a yield rate of 37.67 μg h–1 mgcat
–1 and a faradaic
efficiency of 13.27% in 0.1 M KOH, which is better than those of nonprecious
metal electrocatalysts. Density functional theory and extended X-ray
absorption fine structure analysis indicated that single-atom Mo sites
could be anchored on BCN nanotubes and act as sufficient active sites
for nitrogen reduction. The present work may provide a theoretical
and experimental strategy for developing efficient single-atom catalysts
for ENRR.
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