Atomically dispersed Mo catalysts for high‐efficiency ambient N2 fixation

NH3 synthesis by electrocatalytic N2 reduction reaction (NRR) under ambient conditions is an appealing alternative to the industrial method that requires high temperature and pressure. Herein, we report single Mo atoms anchored to N‐doped porous carbon, which works as a cost‐effective catalyst for NRR. Benefiting from the optimally high density of active sites and hierarchically porous carbon frameworks, this catalyst achieves a high NH3 yield rate (34.0 ± 3.6 μgNH3 h–1 mgcat.–1) and a high Faradaic efficiency (14.6 ± 1.6 %) in 0.1 M KOH at room temperature. These are considerably higher values compared with those for previously reported non‐precious‐metal electrocatalysts. Moreover, this catalyst displays no obvious current drop during a 50,000‐second NRR. Similarly, high activity and durability are also achieved in 0.1 M HCl by the catalyst. This work may provide a promising lead for designing efficient and robust single‐atom non‐precious‐metal catalysts toward electrolytic NRR.

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