Limitations of Electrochemical Nitrogen Oxidation toward Nitrate
The electrocatalytic N2 oxidation reaction (NOR) using renewable electricity is a promising alternative to the industrial synthesis of nitrate from NH3 oxidation. However, breaking the triple bond in the nitrogen molecule is one of the most essential challenges in chemistry. In this work, we use density functional theory simulations to investigate the plausible reaction mechanisms of electrocatalytic NOR and its competition with oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the atomic scale.