Photon–Phonon Co‐Driven Ammonia Synthesis Over Ru/BaTiO 3 Under Very Mild Conditions

ABSTRACT Ammonia, as an emerging energy carrier, holds significant strategic importance in the transition of future energy systems. Although the Haber‐Bosch process remains the dominant industrial route for ammonia synthesis, its high energy demand and substantial carbon emissions underscore the urgent need for sustainable alternatives. Herein, ruthenium (Ru) with an average particle size of 0.9 nm supported on BaTiO 3 is developed, which enables photon‐phonon co‐driven ammonia synthesis at low temperature and pressure. Photon‐generated electrons effectively mitigate the H 2 poisoning effect and more importantly remarkably promote N 2 adsorption and dissociation on Ru sites, thereby working together with phonons to accelerate hydrogenation along the dissociative pathway. As a result, the ammonia synthesis rate reaches 746.6 mmol g Ru −1 h −1 at 350 °C under ambient pressure and 2269 mmol g Ru −1 h −1 under 2 MPa via photon‐phonon co‐driven catalysis, representing a very low apparent activation energy of 24 kJ mol −1 and a 51‐fold improvement compared to conventional photocatalysis while maintaining reaction stability for 120 h. This work provides a novel approach toward green ammonia synthesis and opens new avenues for advancing beyond the fossil fuel driven Haber‐Bosch process.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2026-09-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.75041
Primary Topic
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Photon–Phonon Co‐Driven Ammonia Synthesis Over Ru/BaTiO 3 Under Very Mild Conditions

Junwang Tang, Lunqiao Xiong, Hongjie Cui, Muyao Liu et al.
Advanced Materials
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
article

Photon–Phonon Co‐Driven Ammonia Synthesis Over Ru/BaTiO 3 Under Very Mild Conditions

Junwang Tang, Lunqiao Xiong, Hongjie Cui, Muyao Liu, Haifeng Wang, Ziying Qin, Yong Chen, Linlin Hou, Ying Liu
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Ammonia, as an emerging energy carrier, holds significant strategic importance in the transition of future energy systems. Although the Haber‐Bosch process remains the dominant industrial route for ammonia synthesis, its high energy demand and substantial carbon emissions underscore the urgent need for sustainable alternatives. Herein, ruthenium (Ru) with an average particle size of 0.9 nm supported on BaTiO 3 is developed, which enables photon‐phonon co‐driven ammonia synthesis at low temperature and pressure. Photon‐generated electrons effectively mitigate the H 2 poisoning effect and more importantly remarkably promote N 2 adsorption and dissociation on Ru sites, thereby working together with phonons to accelerate hydrogenation along the dissociative pathway. As a result, the ammonia synthesis rate reaches 746.6 mmol g Ru −1 h −1 at 350 °C under ambient pressure and 2269 mmol g Ru −1 h −1 under 2 MPa via photon‐phonon co‐driven catalysis, representing a very low apparent activation energy of 24 kJ mol −1 and a 51‐fold improvement compared to conventional photocatalysis while maintaining reaction stability for 120 h. This work provides a novel approach toward green ammonia synthesis and opens new avenues for advancing beyond the fossil fuel driven Haber‐Bosch process.

Advanced Materials
Sinopec (China) (CN), East China University of Science and Technology (CN), Nanjing University of Industry Technology (CN), State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering (CN), Tsinghua University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Tsinghua University
Responsible consumption and production
Openalex Percentile: Top 31%
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
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