High efficient all-day nitrogen fixation from air promoted by natural light and sea urchin-like Cobalt oxide photocatalyst under room temperature and atmosphere pressure

Photocatalytic conversion of nitrogen to ammonium is a carbon neutralization reaction. Synthesizing suitably modified semiconductor substrate photocatalysts for nitrogen fixation is a challenge and hot topics in recent decades. This research aims to synthesize a photocatalyst with abundant oxygen vacancies and explore its nitrogen fixation performance. Herein, Cobalt oxide@Schiff was synthesized through organic synthesis and hydrothermal method. Its structure and nitrogen fixation properties were explored. It was found that Cobalt oxide@Schiff has an all-day nitrogen fixation performance from air directly, and the rate could reach 2880 μg/(L•h) under sunlight or day and night at normal temperature and pressure. The advantage of this photocatalyst is that the large π bond of the Schiff base ligand could significantly improve the light-trapping ability and the synergistic effect of nitrogen fixation, which provides a new pathway for nitrogen fixation day and night under room temperature and atmosphere pressure.