Phosphorus modulation of a mesoporous rhodium film for enhanced nitrogen electroreduction

Abstract

Electrochemical reduction of nitrogen to ammonia has received considerable attention for sustainable nitrogen fixation, but the sluggish kinetics results in unsatisfactory activity and efficiency. Designing electrocatalytic active centers for nitrogen adsorption and activation is highly desired. Herein, we present an electrodeposition method for the synthesis of a phosphorus-doped mesoporous rhodium film on nickel foam for the electrochemical synthesis of ammonia. Due to the unique combination of components and structure, the obtained catalyst not only shows excellent catalytic performance (NH₃ yield: 32.57 μg h⁻¹ mg⁻¹_cat.; faradaic efficiency: 40.86%), but also exhibits almost no decrease in activity after the durability test. This research work can provide a facile synthesis strategy for non-metal-doped porous metal based catalysts, which would be promising for the electrochemical synthesis of ammonia.