Metal-Free Single Atom Catalyst for N2 Fixation Driven by Visible Light

Solar nitrogen (N2) fixation is the most attractive way for the sustainable production of ammonia (NH3), but the development of a highly active, long-term stable and low-cost catalyst remains a great challenge. Current research efforts for N2 reduction mainly focus on the metal-based catalysts using the electrochemical approach, while metal-free or solar-driven catalysts have been rarely explored. Herein, on the basis of a concept of electron "acceptance-donation", a metal-free photocatalyst, namely, boron (B) atom, decorated on the optically active graphitic-carbon nitride (B/g-C3N4), for the reduction of N2 is proposed by using extensive first-principles calculations. Our results reveal that gas phase N2 can be efficiently reduced into NH3 on B/g-C3N4 through the enzymatic mechanism with a record low onset potential (0.20 V). Moreover, the B-decorated g-C3N4 can significantly enhance the visible light absorption, rendering them ideal for solar-driven reduction of N2. Importantly, the as-designed catalyst is further demonstrated to hold great promise for synthesis due to its extremely high stability. Our work is the first report of metal-free single atom photocatalyst for N2 reduction, offering cost-effective opportunities for advancing sustainable NH3 production.