A Pd/MnO2Electrocatalyst for Nitrogen Reduction to Ammonia under Ambient Conditions

Electrochemical ammonia synthesis, which is an alternative approach to the Haber-Bosch process, has attracted the attention of researchers because of its advantages including mild working conditions, environmental protection, and simple process. However, the biggest problem in this field is the lack of high-performance catalysts. Here, we report high-efficiency electroreduction of N(2)to NH(3)on gamma-MnO2-supported Pd nanoparticles (Pd/gamma-MnO2) under ambient conditions, which exhibits excellent catalytic activity with an NH(3)yield rate of 19.72 mu g center dot mg(Pd)(-1)h(-1)and a Faradaic efficiency of 8.4% at -0.05 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterization shows that Pd nanoparticles are homogeneously dispersed on the gamma-MnO2. Pd/gamma-MnO(2)outperforms other catalysts including Pd/C and gamma-MnO(2)because of its synergistic catalytic effect between Pd and Mn.