Electrocatalytic Generation of Ammonia from Air and Water. The aim is to directly convert nitrogen under mild conditions, using renewable power, to form ammonia for fertilisers and fuels, enabled by n

Description

Electrocatalytic Generation of Ammonia from Air and Water. The aim is to directly convert nitrogen under mild conditions, using renewable power, to form ammonia for fertilisers and fuels, enabled by new, nanostructured, electrocatalysts based on single-sheet and composite materials. Unlike nitrogen fixation using a three-electrode system, the project will use a novel mixed gas- and liquid-phase electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction two-electrode reactor. Based on fuel cells, it is designed to accelerate the naturally sluggish nitrogen reduction reaction, NRR, significantly improving the reaction rate and selectivity. The project will also gain atomic-level understanding of the mechanism of NRR, based on in-situ spectroscopies used under operando conditions, e.g., Raman or X-ray absorption.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 0306 - Physical Chemistry (Incl. Structural). Lead: Prof Dr Thomas Maschmeyer