Controlling the Reaction Pathways of Mixed NOxHy Reactants in Plasma-Electrochemical Ammonia SynthesisClick to copy article linkArticle link copied!
- Xiaoli GeXiaoli GeDepartment of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United StatesMore by Xiaoli Ge
- Chengyi ZhangChengyi ZhangSchool of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New ZealandMore by Chengyi Zhang
- Mayuresh JanpanditMayuresh JanpanditDepartment of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United StatesMore by Mayuresh Janpandit
- Shwetha PrakashShwetha PrakashDepartment of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United StatesMore by Shwetha Prakash
- Pratahdeep GogoiPratahdeep GogoiDepartment of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United StatesMore by Pratahdeep Gogoi
- Daoyang ZhangDaoyang ZhangDepartment of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United StatesMore by Daoyang Zhang
- Timothy R. CookTimothy R. CookDepartment of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United StatesMore by Timothy R. Cook
- Geoffrey I.N. WaterhouseGeoffrey I.N. WaterhouseSchool of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New ZealandMore by Geoffrey I.N. Waterhouse
- Longwei Yin*Longwei Yin*Email: [email protected]Key Laboratory for Liquid−Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, ChinaMore by Longwei Yin
- Ziyun Wang*Ziyun Wang*Email: [email protected]School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New ZealandMore by Ziyun Wang
- Yuguang C. Li*Yuguang C. Li*Email: [email protected]Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United StatesMore by Yuguang C. Li
Abstract

Electrochemical activation of dinitrogen (N2) is notoriously challenging, typically yielding very low ammonia (NH3) production rates. In this study, we present a continuous flow plasma-electrochemical reactor system for the direct conversion of nitrogen from air into ammonia. In our system, nitrogen molecules are first converted into a mixture of NOx species in the plasma reactor, which are then fed into an electrochemical reactor. To selectively convert the generated NOx species into NH3, we employed a graph theory approach combined with first-principles calculations to comprehensively enumerate all possible pathways from N2-to-NH3, pinpointing key intermediates (NH2* and NO*). A series of bimetallic catalysts was then designed to target the optimal adsorption and conversion of the limiting intermediate in the NOx-to-NH3 pathway. Using an optimized CuPd foam catalyst, we demonstrated an ammonia production rate of 81.2 mg h–1 cm–2 with stability over 1000 h at an applied current of 2 A.
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This article is cited by 2 publications.
- Lei Xiao, Shiyong Mou, Xiaoyu Lin, Keying Wu, Siyuan Liu, Weidong Dai, Weiping Yang, Chiyao Tang, Chang Long, Fan Dong. Techno-Economic Assessment of Plasma-driven Air Oxidation Coupled with Electroreduction Synthesis of Ammonia. Green Energy & Environment 2025, 360 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gee.2025.03.009
- Kaibin Chu, Bo Weng, Zhaorui Lu, Yang Ding, Wei Zhang, Rui Tan, Yu‐Ming Zheng, Ning Han. Exploration of Multidimensional Structural Optimization and Regulation Mechanisms: Catalysts and Reaction Environments in Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis. Advanced Science 2025, 12
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https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202416053
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