Photocatalytic Fixation of Nitrogen to Ammonia by Single Ru Atom Decorated TiO2 Nanosheets

Photocatalysis shows a great potential for N-2 fixation to NH3 under mild conditions, which intrigues increasing research attention in recent decades. To this end, the design of efficient photocatalysts is the key. Herein, we report the synthesis of single atom Ru decorated TiO2 nanosheets rich in oxygen vacancies. Single Ru sites greatly promoted photoreduction of aqueous N-2 to NH3, affording an NH3 formation rate of 56.3 mu g/h/g(cat). We found that isolated Ru atoms likely weakened the hydrogen evolution, promoted absorption of N-2, and also improved the charge carrier separation, which led to enhanced N-2 photofixation.