Electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction over gallium - a computational and experimental study.

Ga was identified earlier as one of the "overlooked" metals for catalyzing the electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (ENRR). We investigate here the electrocatalytic activity of Ga towards the nitrogen reduction reaction. We used a combination of molecular modelling and simulations using periodic density functional theory calculations (DFT), and experimental ENRR measurements.

One-Pot Synthesis of Ruthenium-Based Nanocatalyst Using Reduced Graphene Oxide as Matrix for Electrochemical Synthesis of Ammonia.

Conventional ammonia production consumes significant energy and causes enormous carbon dioxide (CO) emissions globally. To lower energy consumption and mitigate CO emissions, a facile, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective one-pot method for the synthesis of a ruthenium-based nitrogen reduction nanocatalyst has been developed using reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as a matrix. The nanocatalyst synthesis was based on a single-step simultaneous reduction of RuCl into ruthenium-based nanoparticles (Ru-based NPs) and graphene oxide (GO) into rGO using glucose as the reducing agent and stabilizer.

One-Pot Soft-Template Synthesis of Nanostructured Copper-Supported Mesoporous Carbon FDU-15 Electrocatalysts for Efficient CO Reduction.

Copper-supported mesoporous carbon nanocatalysts (Cu/FDU-15) were synthesized using an easy and convenient one-pot soft-template method for low-overvoltage CO electroreduction. TEM imaging revealed the presence of large Cu nanoparticles (diameter 140 nm) with Cu O nanoparticles (16 nm) as an additional phase. From the electron tomography observations, we found that the copper particles were placed inside and on the exterior surface of the porous FDU-15 support, providing an accessible surface for electrocatalytic reactions.