Journal
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
Volume 200, Issue -, Pages 323-329Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2016.07.025
Keywords
Photocatalysis; N-2 reduction; Solar energy conversion; Ultrathin material
Funding
- National Basic Research Program of China [2013CB933200]
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [51272269, 51272303, 51472260]
- Shanghai Science and Technology Commission [16ZR1440800]
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The crux for solar N-2 reduction to ammonia is activating N-2 into its high-energy intermediate. Applying a simultaneous multi-electron reduction process could avoid intermediate generation and decrease the thermodynamic barrier. However, this process is extremely difficult from a kinetic view and experiments so far have not shown it is accessible. Here we show the first direct evidence of trion induced multi-electron N-2 reduction on ultrathin MoS2. By applying light induced trions, N-2 molecular was activated and transformed into ammonia by a simultaneous six-electron reduction process, with a high ammonia synthesis rate of 325 mu mol/gh without the assistant of any organic scavengers or co-catalyst. Bulk MoS2 without trions did not exhibit any activity. This demonstrates multi-electron reduction may be realized in electron-rich semiconductors with high concentration of localized electrons such as trions. The methodology of simultaneous multi-electron reduction has wide implications for reactions beyond N-2 reduction and for materials beyond MoS2. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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