Ambient ōjuncus effusus-derived carbon microtubes

Abstract

Electrocatalytic N2 reduction is a sustainable alternative to the Haber-Bosch process for ambient NH3 synthesis, but it needs efficient and stable catalysts. Herein, a hybrid of TiO2 and juncus effusus-derived carbon microtubes with a three-dimensional cross-linked hollow tubular structure is proposed as an efficient electrocatalyst for N2-to-NH3 conversion at ambient conditions. In 0.1 M Na2SO4, this catalyst offers a large NH3 yield of 20.03 μg h−1 mgcat.−1 and a high faradaic efficiency of 10.76% at −0.50 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode, with superior electrochemical and structural stability.