Solar-Driven Conversion of Nitrogen and Water to Solid Fertilizer in an Outdoor 1 m<sup>2</sup> Panel Reactor.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 39887789.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1002/adma.202420199.
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Abstract
Harnessing solar energy to convert molecular N<sub>2</sub> into nitrogen-rich chemicals (e.g., ammonia) provides a potential pathway for the manufacture of "solar fertilizers". However, the solar-to-ammonia (STA) efficiency of most solar fertilizer systems developed to date is less than 0.1%. Herein, an outstanding STA efficiency of ≈0.3% using a metallic molybdenum trioxide (metallic MoO<sub>3-x</sub>) photocatalyst under simulated-solar irradiation is reported, with localized surface plasmon resonance phenomena in the metallic MoO<sub>3-x</sub> photocatalyst enhancing both light utilization and N<sub>2</sub> activation. The potential scalability of the photocatalytic technology is demonstrated in a 1 m<sup>2</sup> panel reactor system, with a high STA efficiency and good stability demonstrated over 6 days of outdoor testing, yielding a solid (NH<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> product for easy collection. The as-designed square-meter outdoor reaction system facilitates the integration of solar fertilizer technology with existing agricultural infrastructure.