Magnetically Propelled Microrobots toward Photosynthesis of Green Ammonia from Nitrates

Ammonia (NH₃) production is a critical industrial process, as ammonia is a key component in fertilizers, essential for global agriculture and food production. However, the current method of synthesizing ammonia, the Haber-Bosch process, is highly energy-intensive, and relies on fossil fuels, contributing substantially to greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, the centralized nature of the Haber-Bosch process limits its accessibility in remote or resource-limited areas. Photochemical synthesis of ammonia, provides an alternate lower energy, carbon-free pathway compared to the prevailing industrial methods. The photoconversion of nitrate anions, often present in wastewater, offers a greener, more sustainable, and energy-efficient route for both ammonia-generation and wastewater treatment. Photochemical and chemical synthesis of ammonia requires intensive mass-transfer processes, which limits the efficiency of the method. To change the game, in this work, a key new technology of ammonia-generation, a catalytic ammonia generation (AmmoGen) microrobot, which converts nitrate to ammonia using renewable light energy is reported. The magnetic propulsion of the AmmoGen microrobots significantly enhances mass-transfer, and expedites the photosynthesis of ammonia. Overall, this "proof-of-concept" study demonstrates that microrobots can aid in catalytic small molecule activation and generation of value-added products; and are envisaged to pave the way toward new sustainable technologies for catalysis.