Design of Single-Atom Catalysts for E lectrocatalytic Nitrogen Fixation

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Catalysis

Background:

• Electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (ENRR) is a promising technology for ammonia synthesis, addressing energy shortages and environmental concerns.
• Current ENRR methods suffer from low ammonia yield and selectivity, hindering practical application.
• Catalyst design is crucial for improving ENRR efficiency, with single-atom catalysts (SACs) showing significant potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the fundamental principles and influencing factors of ENRR.
• To summarize advancements in SACs and diatomic catalysts (DACs) for ENRR.
• To highlight the role of SACs microenvironment regulation in enhancing ENRR performance.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of ENRR principles and influencing factors.
• Analysis of recent progress in precious metal, non-precious metal, and non-metallic SACs for ENRR.
• Examination of diatomic catalysts (DACs) in the context of ENRR.
• Focus on strategies for regulating the microenvironment of SACs, including hydrogen evolution reaction inhibition and metal-carrier interactions.

Main Results:

• Single-atom catalysts (SACs) demonstrate high intrinsic activity for ENRR.
• Microenvironment engineering of SACs (e.g., carrier effects, metal-carrier interaction) is key to overcoming intrinsic activity limitations.
• Both SACs and DACs are emerging as effective catalysts for ENRR, with SACs showing particular promise when their local environment is optimized.

Conclusions:

• Optimizing the microenvironment of single-atom catalysts is critical for advancing electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (ENRR) efficiency.
• Further research into SACs and their tailored microenvironments is essential for realizing practical ENRR applications.
• The review identifies future research directions for SACs in ENRR, emphasizing performance enhancement and selectivity control.