Piezopotential‐Driven Nitrogen Reduction for Sustainable Ammonia Synthesis via Metal–Piezoelectric Interfacial Coupling

ABSTRACT Ambient ammonia synthesis remains highly challenging due to the inertness of N 2 and inefficient charge separation and interfacial reaction kinetics in current piezocatalytic systems. Herein, we report a metal–piezoelectric strategy by engineering amorphous Ru‐coated ZnO nanorods to enable highly efficient piezocatalytic nitrogen reduction. The introduction of an optimized amorphous Ru‐coated surface induces strong interfacial charge redistribution and establishes a built‐in electric field, which synergistically enhances piezoelectric polarization and carrier dynamics. As a result, the optimized ZnO‐NRs/10Ru exhibits a dramatically prolonged carrier lifetime (18 ns, an approximately ninefold increase) and the strongest piezoresponse among all samples. Piezo‐induced charge separation generates reductive • H species that may facilitate the hydrogenation of adsorbed nitrogen species, accompanied by • OH formation through hole‐mediated water oxidation. Under purely mechanical stimulation, ZnO‐NRs/10Ru achieves an ammonia yield of 2007.06 µmol g cat −1 L −1 h −1 , nearly twice that of pristine ZnO, with excellent structural stability and isotope‐confirmed nitrogen origin. Finite‐element simulations further demonstrate that the Ru‐coated surface optimizes internal piezopotential distribution while maintaining efficient charge transfer across the ZnO/Ru interface. This work provides a general strategy for metal‐modified piezoelectric catalysts toward sustainable ammonia synthesis and energy conversion applications.

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Small
Published
2026-09-18
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.75808
Primary Topic
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Piezopotential‐Driven Nitrogen Reduction for Sustainable Ammonia Synthesis via Metal–Piezoelectric Interfacial Coupling

Jyh Ming Wu, Sz‐Nian Lai, Hsun‐Yen Lin, Yu‐Hsiang Wang et al.
Small
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
article

Piezopotential‐Driven Nitrogen Reduction for Sustainable Ammonia Synthesis via Metal–Piezoelectric Interfacial Coupling

Jyh Ming Wu, Sz‐Nian Lai, Hsun‐Yen Lin, Yu‐Hsiang Wang, Yu‐Ching Chen, Syuan‐Tai Chang
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Ambient ammonia synthesis remains highly challenging due to the inertness of N 2 and inefficient charge separation and interfacial reaction kinetics in current piezocatalytic systems. Herein, we report a metal–piezoelectric strategy by engineering amorphous Ru‐coated ZnO nanorods to enable highly efficient piezocatalytic nitrogen reduction. The introduction of an optimized amorphous Ru‐coated surface induces strong interfacial charge redistribution and establishes a built‐in electric field, which synergistically enhances piezoelectric polarization and carrier dynamics. As a result, the optimized ZnO‐NRs/10Ru exhibits a dramatically prolonged carrier lifetime (18 ns, an approximately ninefold increase) and the strongest piezoresponse among all samples. Piezo‐induced charge separation generates reductive • H species that may facilitate the hydrogenation of adsorbed nitrogen species, accompanied by • OH formation through hole‐mediated water oxidation. Under purely mechanical stimulation, ZnO‐NRs/10Ru achieves an ammonia yield of 2007.06 µmol g cat −1 L −1 h −1 , nearly twice that of pristine ZnO, with excellent structural stability and isotope‐confirmed nitrogen origin. Finite‐element simulations further demonstrate that the Ru‐coated surface optimizes internal piezopotential distribution while maintaining efficient charge transfer across the ZnO/Ru interface. This work provides a general strategy for metal‐modified piezoelectric catalysts toward sustainable ammonia synthesis and energy conversion applications.

Small
National Tsing Hua University (TW)
National Science and Technology Council
Responsible consumption and production
Openalex Percentile: Top 31%
Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
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Piezopotential‐Driven Nitrogen Reduction for Sustainable Ammonia Synthesis via Metal–Piezoelectric Interfacial Coupling — Jyh Ming Wu, Sz‐Nian Lai, et al. · Small (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS