Perspectives on functional nitrogen science and plasma-based in situ functionalization

Abstract

Abstract Reactive nitrogen species (RNS) generated by controlled electron impacts in conjunction with the use of dinitrogen can react with oxygen and/or hydrogen to generate highly reactive compounds. The related field of functional nitrogen science provides new opportunities for nitrogen utilization based on non-equilibrium plasma processing. This revolutionary technique permits plasma-based nitrogen fixation at the locations at which materials such as dopants and fertilizers are required. This system, based on the in situ generation of RNS at the point of use, is expected to replace conventional processes involving nitrogen cycles employing ammonia and nitric acid. Optimization of this new approach will require nitrogen doping to be tuned by atomic-scale localization of nitrogen. This review discusses the applications of functional nitrogen and the processes by which functionalization in both inorganic materials and living organisms can occur when using RNS.