Biomass-Derived Nitrogen-Doped Porous Carbon for Highly Efficient Ambient Electro-Synthesis of NH3

Qinglin Li, Xiufang Chen, Yong Yang*

Abstract:In this communication, we report a biomass-derived nitrogen-doped porous carbon (named as NC-800) as an electrocatalyst for the ambient conversion of N-2 to NH3. The catalyst NC-800 was prepared from naturally renewable and easily available bamboo shoots, with inherently an approximate 8 wt % of N-containing components, such as the N source, in a cost-effective and environmentally benign manner. This exhibited remarkable catalytic activity with a large NH3 yield and a Faradaic efficiency as high as 16.3 mu g h(-)mg(cat)(-1) and 27.5%, respectively, at -0.35 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) in 0.1 M HCl solution at ambient conditions. More importantly, the catalyst NC-800 demonstrated excellent electrochemical selectivity and stability.

Key Words:N-2 fixation; NH3 production; biomass-derived carbon; electrocatalysis; N-doping