Molecular electrocatalysis coupled with a palladium membrane reactor affords selective nitrogen reduction
Morgan McKee a, Sai Phani Kumar Vangala b c, Farzaneh Farzinpour a, Hamed Heidarpour b, Hossein Bemana a, Ali Seifitokaldani b, Nikolay Kornienko a, Jorg Daniels a
a University of Bonn, Germany, Gerhard-Domagk-Straße, 1, Bonn, Germany
b Chemical Engineering, McGill University, 3610 rue University, Montreal, H3A 0C5, Canada
c Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research
Proceedings of MATSUS Spring 2026 Conference (MATSUSSpring26)
E1 Breaking New Bonds: Electrocatalysis for Emerging Transformations
Barcelona, Spain, 2026 March 23rd - 27th
Organizers: María Escudero-Escribano and Ifan Stephens
Oral, Morgan McKee, presentation 340
Publication date: 15th December 2025

Ammonia production is a cornerstone of modern industry and society, yet the conventional Haber-Bosch process accounts for nearly 2% of the global CO2 emissions. A promising potentially greener alternative ambient temperature, low pressure electrochemical ammonia synthesis, though effective systems in this context have not yet been developed. To this end, this study develops a reactor platform that integrates a palladium membrane reactor coupled with a mono-terpyridine nickel molecular catalyst. This system achieved a peak Faradaic efficiency of 38% for ammonia production at current density of -0.85 mA.cm-2, with H2 detected as a secondary by-product. In-situ spectroscopic analysis, electroanalytical techniques, and computational modelling have revealed a unique catalyst mechanism that entails the formation of a Ni-H species generated from the active hydrogen from the Pd membrane as a key intermediate in the reaction route. The insights gained form this unique system stand to aid the development of practical ammonia production systems while expanding the community’s knowledge base on dinitrogen activation.

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