Synergistically Activating N <sub>2</sub> and CO <sub>2</sub> at Water Microdroplet Interfaces
Abstract
Abstract Nitrogen (N 2 ) fixation is essential for sustaining life but is challenging under ambient conditions. Industrial N 2 fixation is energy‐intensive and exacerbates carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions, while high concentration of atmospheric CO 2 urgently requires scalable mitigation strategies. In this study, we report that simultaneous spontaneous activation of N 2 and CO 2 under ambient conditions in microdroplets, producing ammonium (NH 4 + ), nitrite (NO 2 − ), and formate (HCO 2 − ), as confirmed by isotopic labelling experiments and theoretical calculations. This can clarify the doubts about environmental ammonia pollution in microdroplets. The activation of N 2 and CO 2 exhibits a synergistic enhancement effect in microdroplets. Mechanistic investigation reveals novel pathways involving the CO 2 ‐facilitated N 2 fixation and the oxygen radical ( • O)‐mediated N 2 fixation. This discovery offers a sustainable pathway for green N 2 fixation and atmospheric CO 2 utilization, and offers insights into the potential formation pathway of HONO in the atmosphere.
Article Details
Authors (16)
Zaifa Shi
Jing Nie
Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin University
Zuo‐Chang Chen
State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces <i>i</i>ChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials) Department of Chemistry Xiamen University Xiamen 361005 China
Thomas Ka‐Yam Lam
Department of Chemistry Hong Kong Baptist University Hong Kong China
Jianing Wang
Lei Guo
Quantitative Biomedical Research Center, Department of Health Science & Biostatistics, Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
Yunkai Li
Cunhao Cui
State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surface College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen Fujian 361005 China
Haotian Ying
State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surface College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen Fujian 361005 China
Jianing Zhang
Department of Land Resources and Urban Development Management, School of Public Policy and Administration, Chongqing University
Xu Cai
Qingjie Zeng
State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surface College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen Fujian 361005 China
Yanyan Chen
Shui‐Chao Lin
State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surface College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen Fujian 361005 China
Lan‐Sun Zheng
State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces and Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen China
Zongwei Cai