Electrocatalytic Nitrogen Reduction to Ammonia by Fe2O3 Nanorod Array on Carbon Cloth

Electrocatalytic nitrogen fixation provides a green and facile strategy for efficient synthesis of ammonia under ambient conditions, but it lacks efficient and inexpensive electrocatalysts for the nitrogen reduction reaction. Here, we report the synthesis of porous Fe2O3 nanorods grown on carbon cloth (p-Fe2O3/CC) via a surfactant-free hydrothermal reaction coupled with high-temperature calcination. The obtained p-Fe2O3/CC serves as a superior electrocatalyst for producing ammonia by electrolysis of nitrogen and water in neutral electrolytes (0.1 M Na2SO4). Benefiting from its binder-free characteristic and porous structure, p-Fe2O3/CC achieves superior catalytic performance and excellent long-term stability. This study is significant to design low-cost and binder-free porous Fe-based arrays as effective and stable electrocatalysts for electrochemical ammonia synthesis.