Publication date: 21st July 2025
Ammonia (NH₃) plays a crucial role in global fertilizer production and is a promising hydrogen carrier, yet its conventional production via the Haber-Bosch process is highly energy-intensive and CO₂-emitting. Direct electrochemical ammonia synthesis using ceramic proton-conducting cells (PCCs) poses a sustainable alternative for this established synthesis route. For the application of PCCs for ammonia synthesis, novel catalysts for the nitrogen reduction, and ammonia formation reaction are necessary. Here, we investigated the formation kinetics and morphology of FeRu nanoparticle catalysts formed by metal exsolution from the perovskite ceramic BaZr₀.₅₋ₓCe₀.₂Fe₀.₂RuₓY₀.₁O₃₋δ. Metal exsolution is an easy and direct method to synthesize metal nanoparticles using a direct thermal reduction route to selected cations from an oxide host. We utilized ex and in situ transmission electron microscopy techniques to understand the alloy chemistry, formation kinetics and morphology of bimetallic FeRu nanoparticles to optimize their properties for NH3 synthesis. Furthermore, we tested the performance of the catalyst in a bench-scale thermal reactor for NH3 synthesis and made first steps to integrate the exsolution-active ceramic electrode into state of the art PCC half cells for future evaluation of its performance in a proof-of-concept configuration for ammonia synthesis.
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