Surface-Regulated Rhodium-Antimony Nanorods for Nitrogen Fixation

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Catalysis

Background:

• Surface modification is crucial for catalyst performance.
• Nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) catalysis lacks effective surface regulation strategies.
• Rh2Sb nanostructures offer potential for NRR applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of surface morphology on Rh2Sb catalysts for NRR.
• To selectively synthesize surface-rough and surface-smooth Rh2Sb nanostructures.
• To evaluate the NRR performance and stability of these tailored catalysts.

Main Methods:

• Selective synthesis of surface-rough Rh2Sb nanorods (RNRs) and surface-smooth Rh2Sb nanorods (SNRs).
• Electrochemical evaluation of RNRs/C, SNRs/C, and Rh nanoparticles/C for NRR.
• Ammonia yield rate and stability testing over 10 hours.

Main Results:

• Rh2Sb RNRs/C exhibited a high NH3 yield rate (228.85 μg h⁻¹ mg⁻¹Rh) at -0.45 V vs RHE.
• RNRs/C significantly outperformed SNRs/C (63.07 μg h⁻¹ mg⁻¹Rh) and Rh nanoparticles/C (22.82 μg h⁻¹ mg⁻¹Rh).
• Rh2Sb RNRs/C demonstrated excellent stability with negligible decay after 10 hours of electrolysis.

Conclusions:

• Surface regulation, particularly high-index facets, significantly enhances NRR activity.
• Surface-rough Rh2Sb nanorods are promising electrocatalysts for efficient ammonia synthesis.
• This study presents a novel strategy for designing advanced NRR electrocatalysts through surface engineering.