Single-Atom Gold Isolated Onto Nanoporous MoSe₂ for Boosting Electrochemical Nitrogen Reduction

The electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) provides a promising strategy to convert the abundant but inert N₂ into NH₃ using renewable energy. Herein, single-atom Au isolated onto bicontinous nanoporous MoSe₂ (np-MoSe₂ ) is designed as an electrocatalyst for achieving highly efficient NRR catalysis, which exhibits a high Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 37.82% and an NH₃ production rate of 30.83 µg h^-1 mg^-1 at -0.3 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) in 0.1 m Na₂ SO₄ under ambient conditions. Experimental and theoretical investigations reveal that the introduction of single Au atoms onto np-MoSe₂ optimizes the adsorption of NRR intermediates while suppressing the competing HER, thus providing an energetic-favorable process for enhancing the catalytic selectivity toward electrochemical N₂ reduction into NH₃ .