Ultrasonic‐Assisted Photocatalytic Conversion of Air to Nitric Acid Under Ambient Conditions
The production of nitric acid (HNO<sub>3</sub>) holds significant importance in the chemical industry, and achieving direct air-to-HNO<sub>3</sub> conversion with high efficiency and stability under mild conditions remains promising but challenging. Here, we demonstrate an ultrasound-assisted photocatalytic method in which the generated hydroxyl (·OH) and superoxide (·O<sub>2</sub> <sup>-</sup>) radicals drive the direct synthesis of HNO<sub>3</sub> from air under ambient conditions. The synthesis rate of HNO<sub>3</sub> is up to 8594 µmol/h/g<sub>cat</sub>, over 200 times higher than that of previous photocatalytic methods. Using multiple ultrasound sources causes an additional eight times rate enhancement with nearly 100% selectivity maintained over 700 h. The resulting product exhibits comparable fertilization efficacy to conventional fertilizers. By harnessing the UV portion of sunlight that plants do not use, this approach paves the way for full‑spectrum solar energy utilization in sustainable agriculture.
Authors
- Shiming Chen
- Fanhe Kong
- Yunchuan Tu
- Tianlin Wang
- Chao Zhen
- Gang Liu
- Yuxi Yao
- Rui Zheng
- Xiumei Zhan
- Hanlan Hong
- Junxiong Chen
- Huazhe Yang
Institutions
- University of Science and Technology of China (CN)
- Shenyang Agricultural University (CN)
- Chongqing University (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- China Medical University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Science
- Published
- 2026-01-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202517167
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China