Electrochemical N2 fixation by Cu-modified iron oxide dendrites

Abstract The electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) under mild conditions is significantly challenging, due to the extremely high stability of dinitrogen (N 2 ) molecules. The NRR pathway also confronts the competitive water reduction reaction that takes places universally in an aqueous solution. Herein, a Fe 2 O 3 /Cu catalyst is demonstrated as an efficient NRR electrocatalyst. The electronic interactions elevate the d -state electron center, enabling strong back-bonding for N 2 molecules. The altering of d -electron distribution promotes the adsorption of N 2 , leading to a high catalytic activity. As a result, the Fe 2 O 3 /Cu catalyst exhibits an outstanding ammonia production rate of 15.66 μg·h −1 ·mg cat. −1 at −0.1 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), a Faradaic efficiency of 24.4%, and a good electrochemical stability.