Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2025

Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Nanotube with Doped Co and N Atoms and its Catalytic Applications in Hydrogen Production
Published on: December 6, 2021
Universal Synthesized Strategy for Amorphous Pd-Based Nanosheets Boosting Ambient Ammonia Electrosynthesis
Zemeng Dong1, Qiyan Sun1, Guang-Rui Xu1
1Key Laboratory of Eco-chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Optic-electric Sensing and Analytical Chemistry of Life Science, Taishan Scholar Advantage and Characteristic Discipline Team of Eco Chemical Process and Technology, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, P. R. China.
Abstract:
The electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is emerging as a great promise for ambient and sustainable NH3 production while it still suffers from the high adsorption energy of N2 , the difficulty of *NN protonation, and inevitable hydrogen evolution, leading to a great challenge for efficient NRR. Herein, we synthesized a series of amorphous trimetal Pd-based (PdCoM (M = Cu, Ag, Fe, Mo)) nanosheets (NSs) with an ultrathin 2D structure, which shows high efficiency and robust electrocatalytic nitrogen fixation. Among them, amorphous PdCoCu NSs exhibit excellent NRR activity at low overpotentials with an NH3 yield of 60.68 µg h-1 mgcat -1 and a corresponding Faraday efficiency of 42.93% at -0.05 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode as well as outstanding stability with only 5% decrease after a long test period of 40 h at room temperature. The superior NRR activity and robust stability should be attributed to the large specific surface area, abundant active sites as well as structural engineering and electronic effect that boosts up the Pd 4d band center, which further efficiently restrains the hydrogen evolution. This work offers an opportunity for more energy conversion devices through the novel strategy for designing active and stable catalysts.

