The intermediate valence state Mo5+ in Fe doping La2(MoO4)3 boosting electrochemical nitrogen reduction

NH3 is considered as an ideal fuel for fuel cells to achieve zero carbon emissions due to its high energy density (at liquefaction) and carbon-free properties. The zero-carbon clean electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is one of the alternative routes for NH3 synthesis. The efficiency of NRR is restricted by the high stability of N N and the slow reaction rate. In this study, La2(MoO4)3 (LaMo), and x%Fe doping-LaMo (x = 3, 5, 7, and 10) are synthesized via a hydrothermal method. The strong electron-donating ability of Fe converts a part of Mo6+ to Mo5+ and Mo4+ improving the electronic environment. The presence of Mo5+, an intermediate valence state, facilitates the oxidation and reduction reactions and establishes rapid electron transport channels. The electron transport of Mo6+↔e−Mo5+ is easier than Mo6+↔2e−Mo4+. Furthermore, the Mo5+ activates N2 and enhances N2 adsorption, boosting the NRR performance. Importantly, the content of Mo5+ exhibits a positive correlation with NH3 yield rate (R2 = 0.89), and Faradaic efficiency (FE, R2 = 0.95). Consequently, the 5%Fe–LaMo exhibits the highest Mo5+ percentage (75.9 %) and NRR performance (NH3 yield rate:30.4 μg h−1 mgcat−1, FE: 3.6 %). Thus, this study proposes a method to enhance the NRR performance by element doping with strong electron-donating ability to regulate the Mo5+ percentage.