Continuous ammonia electrosynthesis from nitrogen and water in a monolithic Pd membrane-based flow cell
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Continuous electrochemical lithium-mediated ammonia production has shown promising performance. For this reaction, water oxidation could provide a direct route for proton supply, eliminating the need to generate molecular hydrogen. However, recent studies have reported low Faradaic efficiency for ammonia when water is used directly as the proton source. In this work, we integrate an electrically isolated Pd membrane to transfer protons generated from water oxidation into a nonaqueous lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction system. By employing Pd as a proton- and electron-conducting membrane rather than solely as a cathode, we enabled continuous operation in a flow-cell configuration, achieving a Faradaic efficiency of 36 ± 4% at a current density of −6 mA cm–2 over 6 h. Online mass spectrometry confirmed that the produced ammonia contained protons generated by water oxidation. This approach to using Pd provides a practical strategy for proton transport and establishes a viable device configuration to advance electrochemical lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction toward sustainable green ammonia synthesis.
Date Issued
2026-02-13
Date Acceptance
2025-12-26
Citation
ACS Energy Letters, 2026, 11 (2), pp.1907-1915
ISSN
2380-8195
Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Start Page
1907
End Page
1915
Journal / Book Title
ACS Energy Letters
Volume
11
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© 2026 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. This publication is licensed under CC-BY 4.0 .
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/41710781
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Date Publish Online
2026-01-05