Phys.org November 18, 2020
A team of researchers in the US (Northwestern University, industry) built a unique electrochemical cell with a proton-conducting membrane and integrated it with an ammonia-splitting catalyst to convert ammonia to hydrogen. The ammonia encounters the catalyst that splits it into nitrogen and hydrogen which is immediately converted into protons; protons are electrically driven across the proton-conducting membrane in the electrochemical cell. Continually pulling off the hydrogen drives the reaction to go further than it would otherwise. By removing hydrogen the reaction is pushed forward, beyond what the ammonia-splitting catalyst can do alone. The technique is a major step forward for enabling a zero-pollution, hydrogen-fueled economy as the electrochemical system converts ammonia to fuel-cell-ready, clean hydrogen on-site at any scale…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Graphical abstract. Credit: Joule, November 03, 2020