Regulating Kinetics and Thermodynamics of Electrochemical Nitrogen Reduction with Metal Single-Atom Catalysts in a Pressurized Electrolyser
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Regulating kinetics and thermodynamics of electrochemical nitrogen reduction with metal single-atom catalysts in a pressurized electrolyser Haiyuan Zoua,b, Weifeng Ronga, Shuting Weia, Yongfei Jic,1, and Lele Duana,d,1 aDepartment of Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, 518055 Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; bSchool of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 150001 Harbin, China; cSchool of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangzhou University, 510006 Guangzhou, China; and dShenzhen Grubbs Institute, Southern University of Science and Technology, 518055 Shenzhen, Guangdong, China Edited by Alexis T. Bell, University of California, Berkeley, CA, and approved October 8, 2020 (received for review July 17, 2020) Using renewable electricity to synthesize ammonia from nitrogen practical requirements. On the other hand, the improvement of the paves a sustainable route to making value-added chemicals but yet thermodynamic driving force for ammonia production, such as requires further advances in electrocatalyst development and device regulating electrochemical reaction conditions, may offer equally integration. By engineering both electrocatalyst and electrolyzer to positive effects to efficiently promote the N2 reduction process and simultaneously regulate chemical kinetics and thermodynamic driving suppress the unwanted side reactions (22). Conventionally, explo- forces of the electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (ENRR), we ration of the innovation of electrocatalysts or electrochemical cell report herein stereoconfinement-induced densely populated metal devices has always been undergone independently, despite their single atoms (Rh, Ru, Co) on graphdiyne (GDY) matrix (formulated indivisible interconnection nature. Indeed, the ENRR advance- asMSA/GDY)andrealizedaboostedENRRactivityinapressurized ments toward the envisioned practical applications depend very reaction system. Remarkably, under the pressurized environment, the hydrogen evolution reaction of M SA/GDY was effectively suppressed much on the cooperative development of both electrocatalysts and and the desired ENRR activity was strongly amplificated. As a result, electrochemical cell devices (23). − + → = the pressurized ENRR activity of Rh SA/GDY at 55 atm exhibited a Given that the reductive N2 adsorption (N2 +e +H *N −1 −2 record-high NH3 formation rate of 74.15 μgh ·cm , a Faraday effi- NH) is usually regarded as the potential limiting step, novel metal −2 ciency of 20.36%, and a NH3 partial current of 0.35 mA cm single-atom catalysts (SACs, e.g., Ru, Rh, Co) with a favorable at −0.20 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, which, respectively, ENRR kinetics guarantee a great promise to circumvent the N2 displayed 7.3-, 4.9-, and 9.2-fold enhancements compared with those activation energy barrier (24–27). These catalysts, on the other obtained under ambient conditions. Furthermore, a time-independent hand, also suffer vigorous competition from HER and low content 15 ammonia yield rate using purified N2 confirmed the concrete am- of metal loading (28–30). Encouragingly, the most recent research monia electroproduction. Theoretical calculations reveal that the driv- work demonstrated that the system-level regulation of the pres- ing force for the formation of end-on N2*onRhSA/GDYincreasedby surized electrocatalytic environment could affect the chemical 9.62 kJ/mol under the pressurized conditions, facilitating the ENRR equilibrium of the ammonia production reaction and meanwhile process. We envisage that the cooperative regulations of catalysts endow tangible HER suppression (31). It thus warrants research and electrochemical devices open up the possibilities for industrially efforts to query whether the integration of SACs with pressurized viable electrochemical ammonia production. electrochemical environments will lever synergies between kinetics single-atom catalysts | graphdiyne | pressurized electrocatalysis | nitrogen reduction reaction Significance mmonia is essential for human propagation and thriving (1, The present-day industrial ammonia synthesis is overreliance on – A2). Today’s global ammonia production is excessively de- the Haber Bosch process, yet consumes more than 1% of the pendent on the Haber–Bosch method, which converts nitrogen global energy supply along with gigatonne greenhouse-gas and hydrogen to ammonia at high temperature (300–500 °C) and emission per year. Electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction pressure (200–300 atm) (3). So far, this century-old strategy has (ENRR) offers a sustainable path to produce ammonia under mild contributed vastly annual productions, yet significantly exacer- conditions, while its efficiency achieved by far is fairly low, which bating the global energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emis- requires the development of both catalysts and electrolyzers. sion. Electrocatalytic N reduction reaction (ENRR) to synthesize Here, by the cooperation of densely populated metal single atoms 2 on graphdiyne substrate with the pressurized electrocatalytic ammonia from nitrogen and water under mild conditions repre- system, the kinetics and the thermodynamic driving force of ENRR sents a viable alternative that strategically transforms the energy- are effectively regulated, leadingtoarecord-highammoniayield intensive sector toward sustainability, while its efficiency achieved rate. This work motivates the technological and material coevo- so far is fairly low (4–8). lution for the ENRR toward its envisioned application. The primary hurdle obstructing the ENRR lies in issues such as the inherent inertness of N2, the high-energy barrier of N2 Author contributions: L.D. designed research; H.Z., W.R., and Y.J. performed research; activation, multiple electron–proton transfers, the low solubility H.Z., W.R., S.W., and L.D. analyzed data; and H.Z., Y.J., and L.D. wrote the paper. of N2 in aqueous solutions and competing hydrogen evolution The authors declare no competing interest. – reaction (HER), etc. (9 12). On the basis of these premises, This article is a PNAS Direct Submission. strategies are highlighted to modulate the kinetics and thermo- This open access article is distributed under Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 dynamic equilibrium of the progress, thus steering the reaction (CC BY). – toward the production of ammonia while mitigating HER (13 16). 1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: [email protected] or From a kinetic perspective, many catalyst-centric approaches, such [email protected]. as introducing alloy, defects, doping, and strain, etc., have been This article contains supporting information online at https://www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/ explored to improve nitrogen reduction performance (17–21). The doi:10.1073/pnas.2015108117/-/DCSupplemental. overall ENRR efficiency, however, is still insufficient to meet the First published November 10, 2020. 29462–29468 | PNAS | November 24, 2020 | vol. 117 | no. 47 www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2015108117 Downloaded by guest on September 24, 2021 and thermodynamic driving forces and be the game-changer for corresponding metals to be 13.22, 15.31, and 12.08 wt % for Rh, the ENRR. Ru, and Co, respectively. In principle, this simple one-pot synthetic Herein, we showcase that SACs-catalyzed N2 reduction in a method can be generally extended to prepare other metal single- pressurized system is an effective design principle to enhance atom catalysts by exchanging the metal precursors with proper both the chemical kinetics and thermodynamic process, leading oxidation power. to the amplified ENRR activity with simultaneously retarded To uncover the chemical states and atomic coordination en- HER. The deployed SACs contain Ru, Rh, and Co atoms fea- vironment of M SA/GDY, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy tured with densely populated active sites and stabilized on (XPS) and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy graphdiyne (GDY) support (referred to as M SA/GDY; M = Rh, (XAS) were performed. As shown in SI Appendix, Fig. S3, rep- Ru, and Co); these electrocatalysts were prepared by a facile and resentative XPS survey spectra show two major characteristic mild method via stereoconfinement of metal atoms on the GDY peaks of C 1s and O 1s at 284.6 and 532 eV, respectively. The framework. Through extensive ENRR test using adequately core-level XPS spectra of Rh 3d and Ru 3p can be deconvoluted 0 cleaned N2, we found that the as-prepared M SA/GDY electro- into spin-orbit peaks, corresponding to the Rh at around 307.5 catalysts render prominently enhanced ammonia electroproduction and 312.2 eV, Ru0 at 461.8 and 483.7 eV (Fig. 2 A and B) (39, with obvious HER inhibition at the pressurized electrocatalytic 40). The reduced valence state of the metal center suggests that system, suggesting positive cooperation between SAC and the the reductive elimination process indeed occurs as expected, pressurized environment. Remarkably, a record-high ammonia yield − − providing the driving force for the GDY formation and metal rate of 74.15 μgh 1·cm 2, a Faraday efficiency (FE) of 20.36%, and −2 deposition. It is important to point out that the high-resolution aNH3 partial current density of 0.35 mA cm were achieved for Co 2p profile mainly comprises Co2+ at around 780.5 and 796.4 Rh SA/GDY at 55 atm of N2, which shows 7.3-, 4.9-, and 9.2-fold eV, which arises from the easy oxidation of Co atoms (Fig. 2C) enhancement in comparison with those obtained in ambient con- (41). Furthermore, the X-ray absorption