We report the development of MOF-derived nitrogen-doped carbon/ Co 3 O 4 nanocomposites (Co 3 O 4 @NCs) with core−shell structures as an efficient electrocatalyst for the artificial nitrogen fixation at room temperature and atmospheric pressure in 0.05 M H 2 SO 4 . It exhibits a high NH 3 yield of 42.58 μg h −1 mg cat.−1 and a faradaic efficiency of 8.5% at −0.2 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. Experimental results show that the great N 2 reduction reaction performance of Co 3 O 4 @NCs originates from the synergistic effects of N-doped carbon and Co 3 O 4 with significant oxygen vacancy. In addition, we speculate that the core−shell structure can further enhance the electrochemical activity for producing NH 3 .

MOF-derived C@NiO@Ni are proposed as an efficient electrocatalyst for N2 reduction reaction in alkaline media. Abundant oxygen vacancies and NiO/Ni interfaces can act as active sites for adsorbing nitrogen and proton, respectively.

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The vacancies of semiconductor have been proven to be effective active sites for photocatalytic nitrogen fixation, but what about the role of defects in MOF materials? Here we report the...