Glycerine-based synthesis of a highly efficient Fe(2)O(3) electrocatalyst for N(2) fixation

The electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is a promising approach to convert N(2) into high value-added NH(3). However, it is still a challenge to achieve an efficient electrocatalyst for the NRR. Herein, it is demonstrated that the Fe(2)O(3) nanoparticles (NPs) generated from a glycerine-based synthesis can be applied as highly efficient catalysts for the NRR. The Fe(2)O(3) NPs show good performance with a high NH(3) yield (22 μg mg(cat)(−1) h(−1)) and a favorable Faradaic efficiency (FE) (3.5%) at −0.5 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). The facile synthesis strategy and satisfactory electrochemical properties demonstrate the potential application of the as-synthesized Fe(2)O(3) NPs for NRR.