A physical catalyst, similar to the one previously reported for the reduction of CO2 to ethanol, is used to electrochemically reduce nitrogen gas to ammonia at room temperature.
Y. Song, D. Johnson, R. Peng, D. K. Hensley, P. V. Bonnesen, L. Liang, J. Huang, F. Yang, F. Zhang, R. Qiao, A. P. Baddorf, T. J. Tschaplinski, N. L. Engle, M. C. Hatzell, Z. Wu, D. A. Cullen, H. M. Meyer, B. G. Sumpter and A. J. Rondinone, "A physical catalyst for the electrolysis of nitrogen to ammonia," Science Advances 4, 4 (2018). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1700336