环境条件下电催化氮还原的现状、挑战与展望

Ammonia is an important raw material for fertilizer production and a clean energy carrier. It is mainly synthesized by the Haber process in industry. However, this process has harsh reaction conditions, requiring high temperature and high pressure and consuming a large amount of fossil energy. Therefore, the development of ammonia synthesis methods with low energy consumption and mild reaction conditions has important practical significance for alleviating the dual pressures of energy and environment. In recent years, the synthesis of ammonia through the electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) under mild conditions is expected to replace the Haber process. However, the key to this technology lies in designing a reasonable electrocatalytic reaction system and developing efficient catalysts to enhance the slow NRR kinetic process. For this reason, starting from the reaction mechanism of electrocatalytic ammonia synthesis, this article introduces the construction of the electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction system, reviews the development status of electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction catalysts in recent years, focuses on summarizing the design strategies for enhancing the activity of NRR catalysts, and makes a reasonable outlook on the challenges and potential application prospects faced by this emerging field.

氨是一种重要的化肥生产原料和清洁能源载体,在工业上主要通过哈伯法合成,但该工艺反应条件苛刻,需要高温高压并消耗大量的化石能源。因此,开发能耗低、反应温和的合成氨方法,对于缓解能源和环境的双重压力具有重要的现实意义。近年来,在温和条件下通过电催化氮还原反应(NRR)合成氨有望替代哈伯法,但该技术的重点在于设计合理的电催化反应体系并开发高效的催化剂以提升缓慢的NRR动力学过程。为此,本文从电催化合成氨的反应机理出发,介绍了电催化氮还原体系的构建,综述了近年来电催化氮还原催化剂的发展现状,重点总结了提升NRR催化剂活性的设计策略,并对这一新兴领域面临的挑战和潜在的应用前景进行了合理的展望。