Communication-Electrochemical Reduction of Nitrogen to Ammonia in 2-Propanol under Ambient Temperature and Pressure

Selection of an appropriate electrolyte medium is essential for successful NH3 electro-synthesis at low temperature and pressure. In this study, 2-propanol was employed as an electrolyte medium and its effectiveness in the electro-reduction of N-2 to NH3 under ambient conditions was evaluated. NH3 synthesis and faradaic efficiency using a mixture of 2-propanol/water (9:1, v/v) surpassed those when electrosynthesis was carried out using solely water. The concentration of H2SO4 and the applied current density influenced NH3 synthesis in this 2-propanol-based system, and the optimal conditions led to maximized N-2 reduction, indicating that the competing and electron-losing reaction of H-2 evolution was relatively well suppressed. (C) 2016 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.