Light-powered ambient-pressure ammonia synthesis using a plasmonic semiconducting catalyst
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Ammonia plays a critical role in our society, not only as the source for fertilizers and other essential chemicals, but also as a promising hydrogen carrier due to its high energy density and ease of storage and transportation. However, the conventional Haber–Bosch process is energy-intensive and costly. Developing a more energy efficient route for ammonia production is currently a holy grail in scientific society. This study reports a plasmonic semiconductor catalyst—molybdenum oxynitride (Mo2N/MoO2-x) nanosheets—that enables ambient-pressure NH3 synthesis under light illumination. The catalyst achieves a remarkable NH3 production rate of 2338 µmol·g-1·h-1 at 400°C and 857 µmol·g-1·h-1 at room temperature. Notably, we present evidence for the coexistence of both nonthermal and photothermal effects, distinguishing this system from photothermally driven routes. This work demonstrates a viable pathway for NH3 production with low monetary and energetic investments and potential for distributed NH3 synthesis utilizing only water, air, and sunlight.
Source: Nano Research
Authors: Yifan Yu, Vasishta Somayaji, Zhijia Geng, Abraham J. Offen, Jiawei Liang, Jie Liu
Language: English
Subfield: Catalysis
Field: Chemical Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,290
OpenAlex ID: W7106524431