Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

ELECTROCHEMICAL AMMONIA SYNTHESIS

Two catalysts are better than one

Nature Energy volume 7, pages 908–909 (2022)Cite this article

Subjects

A Publisher Correction to this article was published on 03 October 2022

This article has been updated

Electroreduction of N2 to ammonia is a possible alternative to the Haber–Bosch process, but the competing hydrogen evolution reaction typically limits yields. Now, electrochemical protocols combining two molecular catalysts are shown to produce ammonia with adequate selectivity at moderate overpotentials under mild conditions.

Ammonia is an important commodity chemical and mainly used as a feedstock for fertilizer production. Recently, it has also been discussed as a long-term energy storage vector due to its high hydrogen content, favourable physical properties and established transport routes. Ammonia is produced by the Haber–Bosch process using fossil fuels as hydrogen and energy sources, making it responsible for 1.2% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions1. Therefore, alternative approaches, such as the electroreduction of N2 using renewably sourced electricity, are of emerging interest.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Dual catalysis approach for electrochemical N2-to-NH3 reduction.

Change history

References

  1. Liu, X., Elgowainy, A. & Wang, M. Green Chem. 22, 5751–5761 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. A. E. Shilov. in New Trends in the Chemistry of Nitrogen Fixation (eds Chatt, J. et al.) 121–150 (Academic, 1980).

  3. Peters, J. C. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05011-6 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Agarwal, R. G. et al. Chem. Rev. 122, 1–49 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Ashida, Y., Arashiba, K., Nakajima, K. & Nishibayashi, Y. Nature 568, 536–540 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Chalkley, M. J., Garrido-Barros, P. & Peters, J. C. Science 369, 850–854 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Pickett, C. J. & Talarmin, J. Nature 317, 652–653 (1985).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Kütt, A. et al. Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2021, 1407–1419 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Smith, C., Hill, A. K. & Torrente-Murciano, L. Energy Environ. Sci. 13, 331–344 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universität Göttingen, Institut für Anorganische Chemie, Gottingen, Germany

    Inke Siewert

Authors
  1. Inke Siewert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Inke Siewert.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Siewert, I. Two catalysts are better than one. Nat Energy 7, 908–909 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-022-01123-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-022-01123-5

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing