Direct and Sustainable Ammonia Synthesis from Air and Water with Sulfur-Deficient MoS2 Piezocatalysts
Journal
ACS Nano
Journal Volume
19
Journal Issue
41
Start Page
36602
End Page
36613
ISSN
1936-0851
1936-086X
Date Issued
2025-10-06
Author(s)
Chen, Yu-Ching
Liao, Yin-Song
Chen Po Han
Tsai, Cheng-Kuo
Lin, Yi-Dong
Lin, Yan-Gu
Peng, Yu-Ren
Wu, Jyh Ming
Abstract
Eco-friendly ammonia (NH3) production is critical for advancing sustainable agriculture and industry. This study introduces a sustainable, cleaner approach using MoS2nanoflowers (NFs) to synthesize NH3directly from water and air without the need for sacrificial agents. The advanced design leverages double sulfur vacancies (V2s) in MoS2NFs (V2s-MoS2NFs) and their piezoelectric properties, achieving a noteworthy production efficiency of 8374.8 ± 140.1 μmol L–1g–1h–1(absolute production rate of 0.84 ± 0.01 μmol h–1). This outperforms most existing photocatalysts and piezocatalysts and rivals advanced electrocatalysts. The catalyst demonstrated exceptional stability, producing 36.55 mmol L–1g–1(equivalent to an absolute yield of 3.655 μmol) with N2and 26.03 mmol L–1g–1(equivalent to an absolute yield of 2.603 μmol) with air over 8 h. In situ Raman spectroscopy revealed intensifying peaks at ∼819 and 993 cm–1under N2gas, attributed to Mo–N stretching vibrations. Additionally, in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy showed N2adsorption configurations, including side-on adsorption, indicative of N≡N bond elongation on the catalyst surface. Density functional theory calculations corroborated these findings, illustrating how unpaired Mo d orbital electrons near sulfur vacancies activate N2dissociation via backdonation to N2’s antibonding π orbitals. This research highlights the transformative potential of piezocatalytic systems for nitrogen reduction reactions using atmospheric N2and water, providing a basis for sustainable energy solutions. © 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society
Subjects
atmospheric nitrogen reduction reaction
MoS2
piezocatalysis
sulfur vacancies
sustainable energy
Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Type
journal article