Electrochemical Nitrogen Reduction Reaction on Transition Metal Nitride Nanoparticles in Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers

Xuan Yang*, Jared Nash, Jacob Anibal, Marco Dunwell, Yushan Yan, Bingjun Xu, University of Delaware, USA

15th Annual NH3 Fuel Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, October 31, 2018
NH3 Energy+ Topical Conference at the AIChE Annual Meeting

ABSTRACT

Transition metal nitride nanoparticles are synthesized and utilized as catalysts for electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (ENRR) to produce ammonia in a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer (PEMEL). The catalysts show an average ENRR rate and Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 3.3 × 10−10 mol s−1 cm−2 (6.6 × 10−10 mol s−1 mg−1) and 5.95% at −0.1 V within 1 h, respectively. Both the ENRR rate and FE are approximately two orders of magnitude higher than those of noble metal catalysts. Time-dependent results suggest that the catalytic activity of transition metal nitride nanoparticles is stable at −0.1 V, with the catalytic activity decreasing by only 28% during 4 h test. Ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and operando electrochemical and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopic (XAS) analysis reveal that transition metal oxynitride is the active phase for nitrogen reduction.

Read the abstract at the AIChE website.

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RELATED NH3 FUEL CONFERENCE PAPERS

2018: Electrochemical Synthesis of Ammonia Using Metal Nitride Catalsyts

LINKS

Yushan Yan Research Group, University of Delaware
Learn more about the 2018 NH3 Fuel Conference

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