Electro- and Photocatalytic Conversion of N-2 to NH3 by Chemically Modified Transition Metal Dichalcogenides, MoS2, and WS2

Electro- and photocatalytic reduction of N-2 to NH3-the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR)-is an environmentally- and energy-friendly alternative to the Haber-Bosch process for ammonia production. There is a great demand for the development of novel semiconductor-based electrocatalysts with high efficiency and stability for the direct conversion of inert substrates-including N-2 to ammonia-using visible light irradiation under ambient conditions. Herein we report electro-, and photocatalytic NRR with transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), viz MoS2 and WS2. Improved acid treatment of bulk TMDCs yields exfoliated TMDCs (exTMDCs) only a few layers thick with similar to 10% S vacancies. Linear scan voltammograms on exMoS(2) and exWS(2) electrodes reveal significant NRR activity for exTMDC-modified electrodes, which is greatly enhanced by visible light illumination. Spectral measurements confirm ammonia as the main reaction product of electrocatalytic and photocatalytic NRR, and the absence of hydrazine byproduct. Femtosecond-resolved transient absorption studies provide direct evidence of interaction between photo-generated excitons/trions with N-2 adsorbed at S vacancies. DFT calculations corroborate N-2 binding to exMoS(2) at S-vacancies, with substantial pi-backbonding to activate dinitrogen. Our findings suggest that chemically functionalized exTMDC materials could fulfill the need for highly-desired, inexpensive catalysts for the sustainable production of NH3 using Sunlight under neutral pH conditions without appreciable competing production of H-2.