An Amorphization-Engineered Catalyst for Electrocatalytic Reduction of Nitric Oxide to Ammonia.

Electrocatalytic NO-to-NH 3 conversion (NORR) provides a fascinating route toward the eco-friendly and valuable production of NH 3 . In this study, amorphous FeS 2 (a-FeS 2 ) is first demonstrated as a high-efficiency catalyst for the NORR, showing a maximum FE NH3 of 92.5% with a corresponding NH 3 yield rate of 227.1 μmol h -1 cm -2 , outperforming most NORR catalysts reported earlier. Experimental measurements combined with theoretical computations clarify that the exceptional NORR activity of a-FeS 2 originates from the amorphization-induced upshift of the d-band center to promote the NO activation and NO-to-NH 3 hydrogenation energetics.