Catalytic reduction of nitrogen to produce ammonia by bismuth-based catalysts: state of the art and future prospects

Abstract

This review provides an up-to-date review on Bi-based nitrogen-fixation materials and future directions for the development of new Bi-based nitrogen-fixation materials under ambient conditions.

In Situ Fragmented Bismuth Nanoparticles for Electrocatalytic Nitrogen Reduction

“…Among the various reported NRR electrocatalysts (e.g., noble metals, transition metal compounds, heteroatom‐doped carbon, and single‐atom catalysts), [ 10,12–21 ] bismuth (Bi)‐based materials are very attractive for both electrochemical and photocatalytic nitrogen reduction due to their unique electronic structures. [ 22–24 ] These materials include: amorphous Bi 4 V 2 O 11 /CeO 2 hybrid, [ 25 ] vacancy‐rich BiVO 4 , [ 26 ] Bi nanosheets, [ 27,28 ] defect‐rich Bi (110) nanoplates, [ 29 ] Bi nanodendrites, [ 30 ] and ultrathin porous Bi 5 O 7 I nanotubes. [ 31 ] The Bi 6p band can provide localized electrons for back‐donation to the π* antibonding orbitals of adsorbed N 2 molecules, enabling efficient activation and reduction.…”

Glycerine-based synthesis of a highly efficient Fe2O3 electrocatalyst for N2 fixation

“…6,7 To realize a green and sustainable strategy for N 2 xation, electrochemical reduction of N 2 has recently attracted much attention, being an environmentally friendly route involving mild conditions. [8][9][10] To date, a number of catalysts have been developed for the NRR, including noble metals, [11][12][13] transition metals, 14,15 metalfree materials, [16][17][18] metal-C composite materials [19][20][21] and Au-Fe 3 O 4 . 22 These catalysts have demonstrated potential applications in the NRR with improved FE and NH 3 yield.…”

Enhanced Photoactivity and Photostability for Visible‐Light‐Driven Water Oxidation over BiFeO3 Porous Nanotubes by Modification of Mo Doping and Carbon Nanocoating

“…Bismuth-based semiconductors, especially the perovskite structure, have attracted considerable research interests due to their unique advantages on photocatalysis: (1) suitable band gap (E g :~2.2 eV) and band edge position for photocatalytic OER under visible light irradiation; [3] (2) intrinsic spontaneous polarization and built-in electrical field arising from the layered structure favorable for the separation of photogenerated electron-hole (e À -h + ) pairs; [4] (3) earth-abundant, low toxicity, and easy preparation. [5] Among the family of Bi-based semiconductors, BiFeO 3 (BFO) with an E g of about 2.2 eV and highly positive valence band energy (E v :~+ 2.0 eV versus the normalized hydrogen electrode potential), have been explored widely as the visible-light-driven photocatalysts for OER. [6] However, the photocatalytic OER activity of pure BFO is yet unsatisfied until now, due to low photoelectrical conversion efficiency and limited surface reactions.…”