Nitrogen fixation in a non-equilibrium spatially distributed electric field.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41803135.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-70272-y and PMC identifier 13099971.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
Nitrogen fixation heavily relies on the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process, necessitating renewable alternatives. Here, we introduce a non-equilibrium spatially distributed electric field (SD-EF) strategy for nitrogen fixation in ambient air plasma. The optimized SD-EF strategy gives a NO<sub>x</sub><sup>-</sup> yield of 9.8 mmol/h, tripling that of a uniform electric field and the N<sub>2</sub> conversion is three times higher than most discharge configurations at similar or lower energy consumptions. This high NO<sub>x</sub><sup>-</sup> yield is achieved through simultaneously activating two beneficial kinetic networks via SD-EF by having both high and low electric fields present: O<sub>3</sub> and vibrational excitation of N<sub>2</sub> (N<sub>2</sub>(v)) sub-mechanisms, which are revealed by developing a photonic crystal fiber diagnostic for in-situ quantification of molecules and ions (NO, NO<sub>2</sub>, N<sub>2</sub>O, O<sub>3</sub>, NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>, and NO<sub>2</sub><sup>-</sup>) in gas-liquid plasma. The establishment of the SD-EF strategy, coupled with in-situ gas-liquid diagnostics, is broadly applicable to plasma-assisted nitrogen fixation and holds promise for other plasma-assisted chemical conversion processes.