Amorphous/Crystalline Hetero-Phase TiO2-Coated α-Fe2O3Core-Shell Nanospindles: A High-Performance Artificial Nitrogen Fixation Electrocatalyst

Electrochemical nitrogen fixation techniques have emerged as a promisingly sustainable approach to face the challenge associated with nitrogen activation of ammonia synthesis by the Haber-Bosch process under ambient conditions. Herein, the performance of electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction for the production of alpha-Fe(2)O(3)nanospindles coated with mesoporous TiO(2)with different crystallinity [denoted as alpha-Fe2O3@mTiO(2)-X(X=300, 400, and 500 degrees C)] were investigated. The as-prepared alpha-Fe2O3@mTiO(2)-400 composite exhibits a large NH(3)yield (27.2 mu g h(-1) mg(cat.)(-1)) at -0. 5 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode and a high Faradaic efficiency (13.3 %) in 0.1 mNa(2)SO(4), with excellent electrochemical durability. This work presents a novel avenue for the rational design of efficient unique hetero-phase nanocatalysts toward sustainable electrocatalytic N(2)fixation.