AMMONIA SYNTHESIS UNDER AMBIENT CONDITIONS

摘要

Ammonia is an attractive fuel for alternative energy because its combustion byproducts lack carbon. Researchers want to develop catalysts to synthesize ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen gas under mild conditions. They find inspiration in the way that enzymes form N-H bonds using a process called proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET). Using this pathway, transfer of a proton and an electron helps lower the energy barrier to product formation.