MOF membrane boosts electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction on perovskite oxides

The electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) under ambient conditions presents a promising approach for the eco-friendly and sustainable synthesis of ammonia, with a continuous emergence of potential electrocatalysts. However, the low solubility and limited diffusion of N 2 significantly hinder the achievement of satisfactory performance. In this context, we report an effective strategy to enhance NRR activity by introducing a metal-organic framework (MOF) membrane, specifically MIL-53(Al), onto a perovskite oxide (LiNbO 3 ), denoted as LN@MIL-X (X=0.2, 0.4 and 0.6). The MIL-53(Al) membrane selectively recognizes and concentrates N 2 at the catalyst interface while simultaneously repelling water molecules, thereby inhibiting the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This ultrathin nanostructure significantly improves the NRR performance of LN@MIL-X compared to pristine LiNbO 3 . Notably, [email protected] exhibits a maximum NH 3 yield of 45.25 μg h -1 mg cat. -1 with an impressive Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 86.41% at -0.45 V vs. RHE in 0.1 M Na 2 SO 4 . This work provides a universal strategy for the design and synthesis of perovskite oxide electrocatalysts, facilitating high-efficiency ammonia synthesis. • The perovskite oxide embedded MOF membrane composite (LN@MIL-X) was synthesized. • The performance of [email protected] outperformed other perovskite oxide catalysts. • The MOF membrane selectively concentrated N 2 and simultaneously repelled water molecules.