Revolutionizing nitrogen electrocatalysis: Atomically dispersed ruthenium catalyzed by manganese for unmatched performance

Seeking sustainable ammonia, the electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) via electrocatalysis is crucial but challenged by catalyst efficiency and stability needs. This study presents RuMn-NC@NF, a novel bimetallic ruthenium-manganese catalyst synthesized via chemical vapor deposition (CVD), featuring atomically dispersed active sites on porous carbon. The strategic incorporation of manganese into the ruthenium lattice modulates the electronic structure, optimizing nitrogen adsorption and accelerating reaction kinetics. Our results demonstrate that RuMn-NC@NF achieves a remarkable Faradaic efficiency of 33.37% and an ammonia yield rate of 187.06 mu g h- 1 mgcat.- 1 . XRD, SEM, HAADF-STEM, and XPS characterizations affirm the atomic distribution and elemental makeup of the catalyst. Meanwhile, DEMS and DFT calculations reveal the intrinsic mechanisms driving the reaction. The RuMn-NC@NF catalyst exhibits excellent stability over multiple cycles, underscoring its potential for practical and sustainable ammonia production. This research advances electrocatalysis with an innovative NRR catalyst for sustainable applications.