Plasma technology provides a sustainable, fossil-free method for N 2 fixation, i.e., the conversion of inert atmospheric N 2 into valuable substances, such as NO x or ammonia. In this work, we present a novel gliding arc plasmatron at atmospheric pressure for NO x production at different N 2 /O 2 gas feed ratios, offering a promising NO x yield of 1.5% with an energy cost of 3.6 MJ/mol NO x produced. To explain the underlying mechanisms, we present a chemical kinetics model, validated by experiments, which provides insight into the NO x formation pathways and into the ambivalent role of the vibrational kinetics. This allows us to pinpoint the factors limiting the yield and energy cost, which can help to further improve the process.

Plasma-based NOX synthesis via the Birkeland-Eyde process was one of the first industrial nitrogen fixation methods. However, this technology never played a dominant role for nitrogen fixation, due to the...

The extraordinary properties of graphene have spurred huge interest in the experimental realization of a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice of silicon, namely, silicene. However, its synthesis on supporting substrates remains a challenging issue. Recently, strong doubts against the possibility of synthesizing silicene on metallic substrates have been brought forward because of the non-negligible interaction between silicon and metal atoms. To solve the growth problems, we directly deposited silicon on a chemically inert graphite substrate at room temperature. Based on atomic force microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, we reveal the growth of silicon nanosheets where the substrate-silicon interaction is minimized. Scanning tunneling microscopy measurements clearly display the atomically resolved unit cell and the small buckling of the silicene honeycomb structure. Similar to the carbon atoms in graphene, each of the silicon atoms has three nearest and six second nearest neighbors, thus demonstrating its dominant sp configuration. Our scanning tunneling spectroscopy investigations confirm the metallic character of the deposited silicene, in excellent agreement with our band structure calculations that also exhibit the presence of a Dirac cone.