Revealing and Optimizing the Dialectical Relationship Between NOR and OER: Cation Vacancy Engineering Enables RuO2 With Unanticipated High Electrochemical Nitrogen Oxidation Performance

Abstract

AbstractThe electrochemical N2 oxidation reaction (NOR) using water and atmospheric N2 represents a sustainable approach to nitric acid production; while, the parasitic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) usually results in poor conversion selectivity of N2 oxidation. Although the side‐reaction can be partially suppressed by using OER‐inactive catalysts or substrates, the optimized performance is usually obtained at the cost of low yield. Revealing the internal relationship between NOR and OER, providing an effective pathway to optimize the dialectical relationship between OER and NOR is desirable and of socio‐economic significance. Herein, RuO2, the well‐known OER electrocatalyst, is defectively engineered to enhance the cooperation rather than competition between NOR and OER; a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 6.70% at 1.36 V and a maximum yield of 767.92 µg h−1 mgcat−1 at 1.44 V are obtained on D‐RuO2 in acid electrolyte, superior to all the previously reported works. Experiments and DFT calculations suggest that the OER intermediates play a crucial role and the real rate‐determining step during nitrogen oxidation is the transition from *O to *OOH involved in the formation of *NN(OH). The outstanding NOR activity is ascribed to the enhanced stabilization of *OH and the promotion of OO bond breakage in the rate determining step of *NN(OH) formation.