Two-Dimensional Defective Boron-Doped Niobic Acid Nanosheets for Robust Nitrogen Photofixation.

Abstract

Direct nitrogen photofixation is a feasible solution toward sustainable production of ammonia under mild conditions. However, the generation of active sites for solar-dirven nitrogen fixation not only limits the fundamental understanding of the relationship among light absorption, charge transfer, and catalytic efficiency but also influences the photocatalytic activity. Herein, we report two-dimensional boron-doped niobic acid nanosheets with oxygen vacancies (B-V_o-HNbO₃ NSs) for efficient N₂ photofixation in the absence of any scavengers and cocatalysts. Impressively, B-V_o-HNbO₃ NS as a model catalyst achieves the enhanced ammonia evolution rate of 170 μmol g_cat^-1 h^-1 in pure water under visible-light irradiation. The doublet coupling representing ¹⁵NH₄⁺ in an isotopic labeling experiment and <i>in situ</i> infrared spectra confirm the reliable ammonia generation. The experimental analysis and density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the strong synergy of boron dopant and oxygen vacancy regulates band structure of niobic acid, facilitates photogenerated charge transfer, reduces free energy barriers, accelerates reaction kinetics, and promotes the high rates of ammonia evolution. This work provides a general strategy to design active photocatalysts toward solar N₂ conversion.