Ambient N2 Reduction to NH3 Electrocatalyzed by Nitrogen-Doped Carbon-Supported CoP Nanomaterials

Abstract At present, more than 80% of ammonia is obtained by the Haber–Bosch process with harsh reaction conditions and high energy consumption. Considering these energy consumption and gas emission problems, it is important to design an environmentally friendly and low-carbon ammonia synthesis method under mild conditions to enhance nitrogen fixation. Ammonia synthesis via an electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (eNRR) is deemed a promising alternative, but stable and efficient electrocatalysts are highly desired. Herein, nitrogen-doped carbon-supported CoP nanomaterials (CoP@NC) are successfully synthesized via a facile annealing method and used as an eNRR electrocatalyst. Among the as-prepared CoP@NC samples, CoP@NC-600 has the best electrocatalytic performance for eNRR, and the average NH3 yield rate of 7.56 μg h–1 mgcat–1 and Faraday efficiency (FE) of 9.32% are obtained at −0.4 V. Moreover, as-prepared CoP@NC has excellent stability and durability for eNRR.