TiS2 nanosheets for efficient electrocatalytic N2 fixation to NH3 under ambient conditions†
Abstract
Currently, the energy and capital intensive Haber–Bosch process still dominates NH3 synthesis which operates at high temperatures and pressures releasing inevitably large amounts of CO2. The electrocatalytic N2 reduction reaction (NRR) offers us an environmentally-friendly and sustainable route for NH3 synthesis under ambient conditions. In this communication, we describe that TiS2 nanosheets (TiS2 NSs) behave as efficient transition-metal-based NRR electrocatalysts for N2-to-NH3 conversion with excellent selectivity. When tested in 0.1 M Na2SO4, such TiS2 NSs achieve a high faradaic efficiency of 5.50% and a large NH3 yield of 16.02 μg h−1 mg−1cat at −0.6 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, which is superior to bulk TiS2 (5.84 μg h−1 mg−1cat; 1.66%). Notably, this catalyst also shows strong stability during electrolysis and recycling tests.