Glycerine-based synthesis of a highly efficient Fe2O3 electrocatalyst for N2 fixation

摘要

The electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is a promising approach to convert N _(2) into high value-added NH _(3) . However, it is still a challenge to achieve an efficient electrocatalyst for the NRR. Herein, it is demonstrated that the Fe _(2) O _(3) nanoparticles (NPs) generated from a glycerine-based synthesis can be applied as highly efficient catalysts for the NRR. The Fe _(2) O _(3) NPs show good performance with a high NH _(3) yield (22 μg mg _(cat) ~(?1) h ~(?1) ) and a favorable Faradaic efficiency (FE) (3.5%) at ?0.5 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). The facile synthesis strategy and satisfactory electrochemical properties demonstrate the potential application of the as-synthesized Fe _(2) O _(3) NPs for NRR.