Operation at mild conditions is essential for electrochemical processes enough to replace the Haber-Bosch process. Current electrochemical methods mainly rely on the synthesis of novel electro-catalysts before the operation of an electrochemical system, which burdens with extra cost, time, and the use of toxic non-green organic solvents. In this study, the zero-valent iron(Fe⁰)-mediated synthesis of NH₃ was achieved at room temperature, with the active iron prepared in an on-site and continuous way. This on-site approach enabled us to remove the step of cumbersome synthesis of nano-sized electrocatalysts, thereby providing the active surface Fe for nitrogen reduction in eco-friendlier way. When a cell voltage of 4.5 was applied in the two-electrode water-based system, NH₃ was found to be synthesized, which was accompanied by the deposition of Fe on the cathode surface. Considering that iron is among the most abundant and cheapest metals, this room-temperature synthesis proof of the concept with solvent-free, in-situ deposition and its utilization as an electrochemical catalyst, once optimized, may offer an economically advantageous option.

在温和条件下运行对于足以取代 Haber-Bosch 过程的电化学过程至关重要。目前的电化学方法主要依赖于在电化学系统运行之前合成新型电催化剂，这会增加额外的成本、时间和使用有毒的非绿色有机溶剂。在这项研究中，在室温下实现了零价铁（Fe ⁰）介导的 NH ₃合成，活性铁以现场和连续的方式制备。这种现场方法使我们能够去除纳米级电催化剂的繁琐合成步骤，从而以更环保的方式为氮还原提供活性表面 Fe。当在双电极水基体系中施加 4.5 的电池电压时，NH ₃发现被合成，这伴随着 Fe 在阴极表面的沉积。考虑到铁是最丰富和最便宜的金属之一，这种室温合成证明了该概念的无溶剂原位沉积及其作为电化学催化剂的利用，一旦优化，可能会提供经济上有利的选择。