Electro-synthesis of Ammonia from Dilute Nitric Oxide on a Gas Diffusion Electrode

The electrochemical conversion of nitric oxide (NO) to ammonia (NH3) provides a sustainable route to transform an air pollutant into a value-added chemical. However, the development of NO electroreduction remains hindered by the poor solubility in aqueous electrolytes, requiring the use of concentrated NO. Here, we report a dilute NO reduction using a gas diffusion electrode (GDE) to circumvent the mass transport issue. Through the incorporation of nanoscale zero-valent iron into carbon black on the GDE, 96% NH3 Faradaic efficiency was achieved with 1% NO, and the computational calculations revealed that the Fe catalyzed the breaking of the N-O bond in the H-2 NO intermediate. The NH3 production rate was accelerated by controlling the concentration of protons in the electrolyte and reached 1239 mu mol cm(-2) h(-1) with 10% NO. Our findings show that the gas-phase electrolysis of dilute NO can offer a practical option for upcycling the waste nitrogen.

Automated summary

The electrochemical conversion of nitric oxide (NO) to ammonia (NH3) offers a sustainable route to transform air pollutants into value-added chemicals. By incorporating nanoscale zero-valent iron into a gas diffusion electrode (GDE), a high NH3 production rate and efficiency can be achieved. Controlling the proton concentration in the electrolyte further accelerates the NH3 production rate.