Oxygen-deficient SnO2 nanoparticles with ultrathin carbon shell for efficient electrocatalytic N2 reduction

초록

For high-efficiency NH3 synthesis via ambient-condition electrohydrogenation of inert N-2, it is pivotal to ingeniously design an active electrocatalyst with multiple features of abundant surfacial deficiency, good conductivity and large surface area. Here, oxygen-deficient SnO2 nanoparticles encapsulated by ultrathin carbon layer (d-SnO2@C) are developed by hydrothermal deposition coupled with annealing process, as promising catalysts for ambient electrocatalytic N-2 reduction. d-SnO2@C exhibits high activity and excellent selectivity for electrocatalytic conversion of N-2 to NH3 in acidic electrolytes, with Faradic efficiency as high as 12.7% at -0.15 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and large NH3 yield rate of 16.68 mu g h(-1) mg(cat)(-1), at -0.25 V vs. RHE in 0.1 mol L-1 HCl. Benefiting from the structural superiority of enhanced charge transfer efficiency and optimized surface states, d-SnO2@C also achieves excellent long-term stability. (C) 2020 Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.

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