Ultra-fast ammonia decomposition using an electrified tungsten wire lightbulb reactor

Ammonia decomposition is a key reaction in the green hydrogen economy as ammonia is an important carbon-free hydrogen carrier. Despite extensive efforts to develop active catalysts to address the reaction's slow kinetics, we introduce a tungsten wire lightbulb reactor that operates at unconventionally high temperatures with enhanced efficiency. Near the wire, temperature reaches up to 1,800 K, enabling ultra-fast ammonia decomposition with rate constants much higher than those of leading catalysts under typical reaction conditions. Concurrently, the sharp temperature decrease along the radial direction allows for low power inputs, thus enhancing energy efficiency. It also realized up to 99.995% conversion at enhanced power input without the use of membrane separation. We further discuss a scale-up reactor design that is two to three orders of magnitude smaller than current state-of-the-art reactors and highlight its potential applications within the emerging hydrogen economy.