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Nitrogen Reduction

The mosaic art of interphases

Nature Energy volume 8, pages 115–116 (2023)Cite this article

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Electrochemical reduction of N2, mediated by Li, offers promise to decarbonize NH3 production, yet interfacial dynamics in such systems are poorly understood. Now, the morphology of the solid-electrolyte interphase layer formed during N2 reduction is revealed, opening opportunities to elucidate by-product formation mechanisms and improve NH3 selectivity.

The advent of the Haber–Bosch process for ammonia synthesis (N2 + 3H2 ⇌ 2NH3) and synthetic fertilizer production was a crucial advance that enabled the quadrupling of the global population over the last century. Due to the immense scale and demanding reaction conditions required (350–450 °C and 100–200 bar), Haber–Bosch now accounts for ~1% of yearly anthropogenic CO2 emissions. In light of this — and the increasing discussions around the use of ammonia as an energy carrier — there is an incentive to develop cleaner, distributed alternative NH3 production methods. The lithium-mediated electrochemical ammonia synthesis (LiMEAS)1 approach meets these requirements, as it can be operated at ambient conditions and powered entirely by renewable energy, and it is the only known method that has been unequivocally documented to electrochemically produce ammonia.2

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Fig. 1: Solid-electrolyte interphase layers formed during LiMEAS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Eric J. McShane & Matteo Cargnello

  2. SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Eric J. McShane & Matteo Cargnello

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  1. Eric J. McShane
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  2. Matteo Cargnello
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Correspondence to Matteo Cargnello.

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McShane, E.J., Cargnello, M. The mosaic art of interphases. Nat Energy 8, 115–116 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-022-01192-6

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