Electro-synthesis of Ammonia from Dilute Nitric Oxide on a Gas Diffusion Electrode

The electrochemical conversion of nitric oxide (NO) to ammonia (NH₃) provides a sustainable route to transform an air pollutant into a value-added chemical. However, the development of NO electroreduction remains hindered by the poor solubility in aqueous electrolytes, requiring the use of concentrated NO. Here, we report a dilute NO reduction using a gas diffusion electrode (GDE) to circumvent the mass transport issue. Through the incorporation of nanoscale zero-valent iron into carbon black on the GDE, 96% NH₃ Faradaic efficiency was achieved with 1% NO, and the computational calculations revealed that the Fe catalyzed the breaking of the N-O bond in the H₂NO intermediate. The NH₃ production rate was accelerated by controlling the concentration of protons in the electrolyte and reached 1239 μmol cm^-2 h^-1 with 10% NO. Our findings show that the gas-phase electrolysis of dilute NO can offer a practical option for upcycling the waste nitrogen.