Porous carbon-based electrocatalyst

Ammonia from fly ash

A defect-rich porous carbon derived from coal gasification fly ash via one-step calcination, featuring natural alkaline earth oxide active sites for electrocatalytic ammonia synthesis.

Hui-Jia, Mi · Ma, Yaya · Feng, Wang · Jun-Liang, Gao · Jun, Xiong · Xiaoqin, Yang · Chang, Chenglin · Shen, Weifeng · Mo, Wenlong

Fuel 2027

Specifications

Specific surface area

{'zh': '642.9', 'en': '642.9'} m²/g

Defect density

{'zh': '1.07', 'en': '1.07'}

Charge-transfer resistance

{'zh': '5.286', 'en': '5.286'} Ω

NH₃ yield

{'zh': '2.53', 'en': '2.53'} μg·h⁻¹·cm⁻²

Faradaic efficiency

{'zh': '19.15', 'en': '19.15'} %

Advantages

Cheap raw material

Uses coal gasification fly ash as precursor, low cost and widely available.

Simple process

One-step calcination suffices to obtain high-performance electrocatalyst, no complex treatments.

Excellent performance

Faradaic efficiency reaches 19.15% at −0.4 V with NH₃ yield of 1.71 μg·h⁻¹·cm⁻², superior to many carbon-based catalysts.

Self-activating pores

In-situ gas release during calcination creates abundant mesopores and high surface area.

Applications

• Electrocatalytic N2 reduction：Use fly ash-based porous carbon electrode for mild electrocatalytic ammonia synthesis, replacing energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process.
• Carbon-based catalysts：Provide abundant defects and mesopores to enhance N₂ adsorption and activation.
• Green ammonia synthesis：Utilize solid waste to produce catalyst, enabling green and low-carbon ammonia synthesis route.