Editable semiconductor photo-electrodes for sustainable ammonia synthesis
Graphical Abstract
Abstract
Powered by an inexhaustible supply of solar energy, photoelectrochemical (PEC) nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) provides an ideal solution for the synthesis of green ammonia (NH3). Although great efforts have been made in the past decades, there are still significant challenges in increasing the NH3 yields of the PEC-NRR devices. In addition to the issues of low activity and selectivity similar to electrochemical NRR, the progress of PEC-NRR is also impeded by the limited increase in NH3 yields as the electrode is enlarged. Here, we propose an editable electrode design strategy that parallels unit photo-electrodes to achieve a linear increase in NH3 yields with electrode active area. We demonstrate that the editable electrode design strategy minimizes the electrode charge transfer resistance, allowing more photo-generated carriers to reach the electrode surface and promote the catalytic reaction. We believe that this editable electrode design strategy provides an avenue to achieve sustainable PEC NH3 production.
Electronic Supplementary Material
References
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