An Fe2O3 nanoparticle-reduced graphene oxide composite for ambient electrocatalytic N2 reduction to NH3

The Haber-Bosch process for industrial-scale NH3 production suffers from harsh reaction conditions with CO2 emission. Electrochemical N-2 reduction has gained considerable recent interest as an eco-friendly and sustainable alternative for NH3 synthesis with the aid of efficient electrocatalysts for the N-2 reduction reaction (NRR). Here, an Fe2O3 nanoparticle-reduced graphene oxide composite (Fe2O3-rGO) is reported to be an Earth-abundant NRR electrocatalyst, enabling efficient ambient N-2-to-NH3 conversion. In 0.5 M LiClO4, this Fe2O3-rGO attains a large NH3 yield of 22.13 mu g h(-1) mg(cat)(-1) at -0.50 V and a high faradaic efficiency of 5.89% at -0.40 V (vs. RHE). It also demonstrates high electrochemical stability.