US 12,031,220 B2
Electrolytic composition and cathode for the nitrogen reduction reaction
Douglas R. MacFarlane, Clayton (AU); Bryan Harry Rahmat Suryanto, Clayton (AU); Dabin Wang, Clayton (AU); and Hoang-Long Du, Clayton (AU)
Assigned to MONASH UNIVERSITY, Clayton (AU)
Appl. No. 16/972,160
Filed by MONASH UNIVERSITY, Clayton (AU)
PCT Filed Jun. 27, 2019, PCT No. PCT/AU2019/050671
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 4, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/000044, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 2, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2018902324 (AU), filed on Jun. 28, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0238756 A1, Aug. 5, 2021
Int. Cl. C25B 11/054 (2021.01); C25B 1/27 (2021.01); C25B 11/057 (2021.01); C25B 11/067 (2021.01); C25B 11/081 (2021.01); C25B 15/08 (2006.01)
CPC C25B 11/054 (2021.01) [C25B 1/27 (2021.01); C25B 11/057 (2021.01); C25B 11/067 (2021.01); C25B 11/081 (2021.01); C25B 15/08 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of reducing dinitrogen to ammonia, the method comprising:
contacting an electrocatalytic composition with dinitrogen and an electrolyte comprising a source of hydrogen; and
applying a potential at the electrocatalytic composition sufficient to reduce the dinitrogen and the source of hydrogen on the electrocatalytic composition to form ammonia,
wherein the electrocatalytic composition comprises:
a support material present in one or more crystalline phases; and
metallic clusters dispersed on the support material, the metallic clusters comprising at least one metal selected from ruthenium, iron, rhodium, iridium and molybdenum,
wherein at least 80 mass % of the support material is present in a semiconductive crystalline phase having a conduction band minimum energy below (more positive than) −0.3 V relative to the normal hydrogen electrode (NHE),
wherein the semiconductive crystalline phase is a 2D-crystalline phase and wherein the metallic clusters are at least partially intercalated between layers of the 2D-crystalline phase.