Materials for electrochemical ammonia synthesis.

Direct electrochemical synthesis of ammonia is proposed as a means of reducing the carbon footprint of the fertiliser industry, as well as providing new opportunities for carbon-free liquid energy storage. We review the current status of research into materials for electrochemical ammonia synthesis and evaluate the reported rates and efficiencies in terms of recent US Department of Energy targets. Surprisingly, development of electrocatalysts has only recently received much attention, and despite a number of promising rates, the target values remain distant.

Trimethylphosphine-Assisted Surface Fingerprinting of Metal Oxide Nanoparticle by (31)P Solid-State NMR: A Zinc Oxide Case Study.

Nano metal oxides are becoming widely used in industrial, commercial and personal products (semiconductors, optics, solar cells, catalysts, paints, cosmetics, sun-cream lotions, etc.). However, the relationship of surface features (exposed planes, defects and chemical functionalities) with physiochemical properties is not well studied primarily due to lack of a simple technique for their characterization.