Effective Ammonia Production from Nitrogen and Water under Ambient Conditions through Proton-Coupled In Situ Radiolytic Electron Transfer

Ammonia (NH₃) is a vital component for sustaining global food supplies and fuel production, but its industrial production via the Haber-Bosch process remains energetically demanding and carbon-intensive. Here, we report an electron-beam-activated NH₃ synthesis strategy that utilizes only atmospheric N₂ and water as feedstocks under ambient conditions. This approach achieves an industrially relevant rate of 83.6 μmol g^-1 s^-1 with a substantially improved energy efficiency of 0.53 MJ/mol, which surpasses most laboratory-scale technologies and is comparable to that of the Haber-Bosch process. Time-resolved operando spectroscopic experiments, combined with theoretical calculations, reveal that this distinct activation mode enables rapid N₂→NH₃ conversion through a proton-coupled transfer of an in situ generated energetic hydrated electron. Furthermore, techno-economic analysis and life-cycle assessment demonstrate that the operational simplicity and exceptional throughput of the present N₂ fixation approach could promote nitrogen circularity in the sustainable chemical industry.