Electrochemical reduction of N2 to ammonia on Co single atom embedded N-doped porous carbon under ambient conditions

Energy-efficient ammonia synthesis from facile electrochemical N-2 fixation is desirable in many fields such as fertilizer production and carbon-free energy carriers. However, it remains challenging due to the difficulty of N-2 adsorption and dissociation. Here, Co single atom embedded N-doped porous carbon (CSA/NPC) was reported for electrochemical reduction of N-2 to NH3, which exhibited high activity and efficiency at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. It can rapidly convert N-2 to NH3 with an NH3 production rate of 0.86 mu mol cm(-2) h(-1) and a faradaic efficiency of 10.5% at -0.2 V vs. (RHE). The Co single atoms, N-doping and porous structure were found to be responsible for its superior performance for ammonia synthesis, where Co single atoms and N-doping can provide active sites for N-2 adsorption and dissociation and porous carbon can expose more active sites and enhance mass transfer.