Efficient Electrochemical N2 Reduction to NH3 on MoN Nanosheets Array under Ambient Conditions

Electrochemical N-2 reduction reaction (NRR) under ambient conditions offers us an environmentally friendly route for artificial synthesis of NH3. However, up to now, few noble-metal-free electrocatalysts with satisfactory catalytic activities have been explored. In this Letter, we demonstrate that MoN nanosheets array on carbon cloth (MoN NA/CC) acts as a high-performance NRR electrocatalyst toward NH3 electrosynthesis in 0.1 M HCl under ambient conditions. This catalyst achieves a large NH3 yield of 3.01 x 10(-10) mol s(-1) cm(-2) and a Faradaic efficiency of 1.15% at -0.3 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode with strong electrochemical durability and selectivity. Density functional theory calculations reveal that MoN NA/CC catalyzes NRR via the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism.