Аннотация:A sustainable reaction of electrocatalytic nitrate conversion in ammonia production(NO3RR) occurring under ambient conditions is currently of prime interest, as well as urgentresearch due to the real potential replacement of the environmentally unfavorable Haber-Boschprocess. Herein, a series of electrocatalysts based on two-component cobalt alloys was synthesizedusing low-cost non-noble metals Co, Fe, Cr and also Si. The samples of electrocatalysts werecharacterized and studied by the following methods: SEM, EDX, XRD (both transmission andreflection), UV-vis spectroscopy, optical microscopy, linear (and cyclic) voltammetry,chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Beyond that, the determinationof electrochemically active surface area was also carried out for all samples of electrocatalysts.Unexpectedly, the sample having an intermetallic compound (IMC) of the composition Co2Si turnedout to be the most highly effective. The highest Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 80.8% at E = -0.585 V(RHE) and an ammonia yield rate of 22.3 μmol h-1 cm-2 at E = -0.685 V (RHE) indicate the progressiverole of IMC as the main active component of the electrocatalyst. Thus, this study demonstrates thepromise and enormous potential of IMC as the main component of highly efficient electrocatalystsfor NO3RR. This work can serve primarily as a starting point for future studies of electrocatalyticconversion reactions in the production of ammonia using IMC catalysts containing non-noblemetals.
