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Photocatalytic nitrogen reduction to ammonia: Insights into the role of defect engineering in photocatalysts

Nano Research volume 15, pages 2773–2809 (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

Engineering of defects in semiconductors provides an effective protocol for improving photocatalytic N2 conversion efficiency. This review focuses on the state-of-the-art progress in defect engineering of photocatalysts for the N2 reduction toward ammonia. The basic principles and mechanisms of thermal catalyzed and photon-induced N2 reduction are first concisely recapped, including relevant properties of the N2 molecule, reaction pathways, and NH3 quantification methods. Subsequently, defect classification, synthesis strategies, and identification techniques are compendiously summarized. Advances of in situ characterization techniques for monitoring defect state during the N2 reduction process are also described. Especially, various surface defect strategies and their critical roles in improving the N2 photoreduction performance are highlighted, including surface vacancies (i.e., anionic vacancies and cationic vacancies), heteroatom doping (i.e., metal element doping and nonmetal element doping), and atomically defined surface sites. Finally, future opportunities and challenges as well as perspectives on further development of defect-engineered photocatalysts for the nitrogen reduction to ammonia are presented. It is expected that this review can provide a profound guidance for more specialized design of defect-engineered catalysts with high activity and stability for nitrogen photochemical fixation.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21972010); Beijing Natural Science Foundation (No. 2192039); the Foundation of Key Laboratory of Low-Carbon Conversion Science & Engineering, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. KLLCCSE-201901, SARI, CAS); Beijing University of Chemical Technology (XK180301, XK1804-2).

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, College of Chemical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China

    Huidong Shen, Mengmeng Yang, Leiduan Hao, Jinrui Wang & Zhenyu Sun

  2. Leibniz Institute for Catalysis at the University of Rostock, Rostock, 18059, Germany

    Jennifer Strunk

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  1. Huidong Shen
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Correspondence to Jennifer Strunk or Zhenyu Sun.

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Shen, H., Yang, M., Hao, L. et al. Photocatalytic nitrogen reduction to ammonia: Insights into the role of defect engineering in photocatalysts. Nano Res. 15, 2773–2809 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-3725-0

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Keywords

  • photocatalysis
  • nitrogen reduction
  • ammonia synthesis
  • defect engineering