Mo-doped CoS with rich sulfur vacancies for electrocatalytic reduction of nitrogen to ammonia

Abstract Improving the activation and adsorption and of N 2 by catalysts is crucial for developing efficient nitrogen reduction catalysts. Doping and defect engineering are important methods for addressing these issues. Doping a certain amount of Mo in CoS is beneficial for increasing the active positions, which heightens the attachment of N 2 . Due to the unique structure of the sulfur vacancy, it is advantageous to weaken the N≡N bond, thus enhancing the efficiency of electrocatalysis from N 2 to NH 3 . Therefore, this work focuses on designing a Mo-doped CoS electrocatalyst with an abundance of sulfur vacancies to enhance its electrocatalytic performance in nitrogen reduction. The Vs-Mo/CoS-8% achieves an impressive NH 3 yield of 38.19 μg h −1 mg cat −1 and Faraday efficiency of 23.99% at an electrical potential of −0.45 V ( vs . RHE). Furthermore, it demonstrates long-term stability for up to 24 hours. This study not only broadens the diversity of available electrocatalysts but also provides new ideas for designing efficient and stable ones.