Making ammonia—the backbone of fertilizers and a key industrial chemical—has always demanded enormous energy. The industrial Haber-Bosch process employs high temperatures and pressures to drive the reaction of nitrogen and hydrogen to produce ammonia, consuming vast amounts of energy and releasing substantial carbon emissions. As reported in Chem (doi: 10.1016/j.chempr.2025.102884) on February 10, a team led by Prof. DENG Dehui and Prof. YU Liang from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP), along with Prof. CUI Yi from the Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics—both affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences—have developed a catalyst that accomplishes the same reaction at room temperature and ambient pressure.
The key to this thermocatalytic ammonia synthesis under ambient conditions is an interface between metallic lithium (Li) and ruthenium (Ru). The Li/Ru interface presents a synergetic effect, which promotes both N2 activation and hydrogenation steps, both critical for the production of NH3 under ambient conditions. To in-situ build this interface, the team designed and assembled a lithium battery—lithium metal at the anode, ruthenium nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes at the cathode. During discharge, the active lithium-ruthenium interface forms spontaneously. Flowing nitrogen and hydrogen across the interface at around 25°C and normal atmospheric pressure, the system produced ammonia steadily for over 400 hours across more than 120 charge-discharge cycles.
“Integrated with high-efficiency energy-storage Li battery systems, this process provides a new way to establish a low-energy and sustainable paradigm for NH3 synthesis,” said Prof. DENG, one of the leading authors.
Nitrogen (N2) and hydrogen (H2) flowing across the lithium-ruthenium (Li/Ru) interface are converted into ammonia (NH3) at around 25°C and normal atmospheric pressure. (Graphic: DICP)