摘要
We report the theory-guided design of anatase-supported Nb catalysts for electrochemical N2 reduction reaction (NRR). Theoretical calculations predict that Nb atoms deliver multi-functional enhancement toward the NRR when incorporated in an anatase TiO2(110) catalyst: (1) decreasing the band gap and inducing electrons to promote the conductivity of TiO2(110); (2) suppressing the undesired competitive hydrogen evolution reaction; (3) activating the inert Ti sites for N2 adsorption; (4) enabling fast charge transfer between ∗NNH and the TiO2(110) surface; and (5) reducing the energy barrier of the potential-determining ∗N2 → ∗NNH step, further facilitating NH3 formation. As a result, our Nb-TiO2(110) catalyst exhibits superior activity and selectivity for the NRR, which affords an NH3 production rate of about 21.3 μg h−1 mgcat−1 and NH3 faradaic efficiency of ∼9.2% at −0.5 V (versus reversible hydrogen electrode). This study provides insights for the rational design of efficient electrocatalysts for the NRR.
源语言 | 英语 |
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页(从-至) | 2275-2288 |
页数 | 14 |
期刊 | Chem Catalysis |
卷 | 2 |
期 | 9 |
DOI | |
出版状态 | 已出版 - 15 9月 2022 |