Nitrogen reduction to ammonia at high efficiency and rates based on a phosphonium proton shuttle

Title	Nitrogen reduction to ammonia at high efficiency and rates based on a phosphonium proton shuttle
Authors	Bryan H. R. Suryanto, Karolina Matuszek and Jaecheol Choi et al.
Magazine	Science
Date	06/10/2021
DOI	10.1126/science.abg2371
Introduction	Ammonia (NH3) serves as a vital global commodity, primarily for fertiliser manufacturing. However, its conventional production via the Haber-Bosch process generates significant carbon dioxide emissions. Current efforts focus on developing zero-carbon ammonia synthesis routes, such as the promising electrochemical lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction reaction. A persistent challenge for this method has been the need for sacrificial proton sources. This research presents a phosphonium salt as an effective proton shuttle to address this constraint. The salt additionally enhances ionic conductivity, achieving impressive NH3 production rates of 53 ± 1 nanomoles per second per square centimetre with 69 ± 1% faradaic efficiency. These results were obtained over 20-hour trials utilising 0.5-bar hydrogen and 19.5-bar nitrogen, with sustained operation shown for over three days.
Quote	Bryan H. R. Suryanto, Karolina Matuszek and Jaecheol Choi et al. Nitrogen reduction to ammonia at high efficiency and rates based on a phosphonium proton shuttle. Science. 2021. Vol. 372(6547):1187-1191. DOI: 10.1126/science.abg2371
Element	Nitrogen (N) , Hydrogen (H) , Lithium (Li) , Carbon (C) , Phosphorus (P) , Oxygen (O)
Industry	Agriculture , Research & Laboratory