P-Doped graphene toward enhanced electrocatalytic N2 reduction

Catalysts for the N-2 reduction reaction (NRR) are at the heart of key alternative technology to the Haber-Bosch process for NH3 synthesis, and are expected to optimize the interplay between efficiency, activity and selectivity. Here, we report our recent finding that P-doped graphene shows superior NRR performances in aqueous media at present, with a remarkably large NH3 yield of 32.33 mu g h(-1) mg(cat.)(-1) and a high faradaic efficiency of 20.82% at -0.65 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode. The mechanism is clarified by density functional theory calculations.