Single-Atom Catalysts for the Electrocatalytic Reduction of Nitrogen to Ammonia under Ambient Conditions

Powered by renewable electricity, the electrochemical reduction of nitrogen to ammonia is proposed as a promising alternative to the energy- and capital-intensive Haber-Bosch process, and has thus attracted much attention from the scientific community. However, this process suffers from low NH3 yields and Faradaic efficiency. The development of more effective electrocatalysts is of vital importance for the practical applications of this reaction. Of the reported catalysts, single-atom catalysts (SACs) show the significant advantages of efficient atom utilization and unsaturated coordination configurations, which offer great scope for optimizing their catalytic performance. Herein, progress in state-of-the-art SACs applied in the electrocatalytic N-2 reduction reaction (NRR) is discussed, and the main advantages and challenges for developing more efficient electrocatalysts are also highlighted.