Atomically dispersed Au₁ catalyst towards efficient electrochemical synthesis of ammonia

Tremendous efforts have been devoted to explore energy-efficient strategies of ammonia synthesis to replace Haber–Bosch process which accounts for 1.4% of the annual energy consumption. In this study, atomically dispersed Au₁ catalyst is synthesized and applied in electrochemical synthesis of ammonia under ambient conditions. A high NH₄ ⁺ Faradaic efficiency of 11.1% achieved by our Au₁ catalyst surpasses most of reported catalysts under comparable conditions. Benefiting from efficient atom utilization, an NH₄ ⁺ yield rate of 1,305 μg h⁻¹ mg_Au ⁻¹ has been reached, which is roughly 22.5 times as high as that by supported Au nanoparticles. We also demonstrate that by employing our Au₁ catalyst, NH₄ ⁺ can be electrochemically produced directly from N₂ and H₂ with an energy utilization rate of 4.02 mmol kJ⁻¹. Our study provides a possibility of replacing the Haber–Bosch process with environmentally benign and energy-efficient electrochemical strategies.