Beyond fossil fuel–driven nitrogen transformations

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Abstract

<p class="first" id="P1">Nitrogen is fundamental to all of life and to many industrial processes. Nitrogen in its various oxidation states comprises the global nitrogen cycle, with the change between forms being redox reactions involving electrons and protons. The interchange of nitrogen oxidation states constitutes some of the most important industrial processes, with the energy for these processes being provided largely by fossil fuel. A key goal of research in the field of nitrogen chemistry is to minimize the use of fossil fuels by developing more efficient heterogeneous, homogeneous, or biological catalysts, or by inventing new energy-efficient processes that rely on catalysts. These approaches, as well as the challenges involved, are discussed in this review. </p><p id="P2">This review article reports on the current state of the field of nitrogen activation chemistry and discusses future directions. </p>

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How a century of ammonia synthesis changed the world

Jan Willem Erisman, Mark Sutton, James Galloway … (2008)

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Rational design of electrocatalysts and photo(electro)catalysts for nitrogen reduction to ammonia (NH3) under ambient conditions

Shi-Zhang Qiao, Chunxian Guo, Jingrun Ran … (2018)

This perspective highlights the rational design of efficient electrocatalysts and photo(electro)catalysts for N 2 reduction to ammonia (NH 3 ) under ambient conditions. As one of the most important chemicals and carbon-free energy carriers, ammonia (NH 3 ) has a worldwide annual production of ∼150 million tons, and is mainly produced by the traditional high-temperature and high-pressure Haber–Bosch process which consumes massive amounts of energy. Very recently, electrocatalytic and photo(electro)catalytic reduction of N 2 to NH 3 , which can be performed at ambient conditions using renewable energy, have received tremendous attention. The overall performance of these electrocatalytic and photo(electro)catalytic systems is largely dictated by their core components, catalysts. This perspective for the first time highlights the rational design of electrocatalysts and photo(electro)catalysts for N 2 reduction to NH 3 under ambient conditions. Fundamental theory of catalytic reaction pathways for the N 2 reduction reaction and the corresponding material design principles are introduced first. Then, recently developed electrocatalysts and photo(electro)catalysts are summarized, with a special emphasis on the relationship between their physicochemical properties and NH 3 production performance. Finally, the opportunities in this emerging research field, in particular, the strategy of combining experimental and theoretical techniques to design efficient and stable catalysts for NH 3 production, are outlined.