The conventional Haber-Bosch process, which supplies nearly all of the world’s ammonia, operates under extreme heat and pressure, consuming about 1–2% of global energy and releasing roughly 1.6 tons of CO2 per ton of ammonia produced.
Electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction, driven by renewable electricity, promises a sustainable alternative – but the strong N≡N bond (bond dissociation energy of 941 kJ/mol) makes N2 activation exceptionally difficult. Existing associative pathways suffer from either premature hydrazine release or high activation barriers, leading to poor selectivity and sluggish kinetics. Based on these challenges, there is an urgent need for in-depth research into novel reaction mechanisms that can lower energy barriers, suppress the competing hydrogen evolution reaction, and unlock practical ambient-condition ammonia synthesis.
