Photocatalytic and photo-electrochemical ammonia synthesis over dimensional oriented cobalt titanate/nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide junction interface catalyst

Lekha Paramanik; Sabiha Sultana; K M Parida

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2022.06.010

Photocatalytic and photo-electrochemical ammonia synthesis over dimensional oriented cobalt titanate/nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide junction interface catalyst

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2022 Nov:625:83-99. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.06.010. Epub 2022 Jun 7.

Authors

Lekha Paramanik¹, Sabiha Sultana¹, K M Parida²

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, S'O'A (Deemed to be University), Bhubaneswar 751030, Odisha, India.
² Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, S'O'A (Deemed to be University), Bhubaneswar 751030, Odisha, India. Electronic address: paridakulamani@yahoo.com.

PMID: 35714411
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.06.010

Abstract

Nitrogen reduction to ammonia is vital for chemical industries and renewable clean energy. Denying the harsh reaction conditions adopted in the Haber-Bosch process and stimulation research for ammonia production through sustainable technologies is a smart approach. Hitherto, photocatalyst acquiring the potential to attain high nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) efficiency is a challenging task. Here, this study demonstrated cobalt titanate (CoTiO₃) rods (p-type) straddled with two-dimensional (2D) sheets of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO, n-type) via, reflux method; realizing the advantages of dissimilar dimensionalities and strong interfacial junction coupling for efficient NRR under visible light irradiation. The successful interface junction establishment between CoTiO₃ and N-rGO has been witnessed from Raman, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Mott-Schottky analysis. Moreover, a well-defined type-II band structure is capable to curl the charge anti-recombination process; reflected in upgraded photo-catalytic/electrocatalytic upshots. The CoTiO₃ modified with an optimized concentration of N-rGO exhibits high stability with an improved photocatalytic (1722.22 μmolL^-1h^-1) and photo-electrocatalytic (16.8 µg cm^-1h^-1) nitrogen reduction to ammonia production; multiple times higher than counterparts. This improved photo-activity of CoTiO₃/N-rGO junction hybrid stems from the built-in electric field existing across the dissimilar junction interface, triggering charge transfer channels for reduction reaction in mild reaction conditions. The result of these materials might strategies the way for future development of new functionalities bearing highly active catalyst materials for sustainable energy-related conversion.

Keywords: Ammonia production; Cobalt titanate; Nitrogen doped reduced graphene oxide; Nitrogen reduction reaction; Room temperature.