Amorphous/Crystalline Hetero-Phase TiO -Coated α-Fe O Core-Shell Nanospindles: A High-Performance Artificial Nitrogen Fixation Electrocatalyst.

Electrochemical nitrogen fixation techniques have emerged as a promisingly sustainable approach to face the challenge associated with nitrogen activation of ammonia synthesis by the Haber-Bosch process under ambient conditions. Herein, the performance of electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction for the production of α-Fe O nanospindles coated with mesoporous TiO with different crystallinity [denoted as α-Fe O @mTiO -X (X=300, 400, and 500 °C)] were investigated. The as-prepared α-Fe O @mTiO -400 composite exhibits a large NH yield (27.2 μg h  mg ) at -0. 5 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode and a high Faradaic efficiency (13.3 %) in 0.1 m Na SO , with excellent electrochemical durability. This work presents a novel avenue for the rational design of efficient unique hetero-phase nanocatalysts toward sustainable electrocatalytic N fixation.