Facile synthesis of Cu2SnS3 nanocrystals for efficient nitrogen reduction reaction

The conversion of naturally abundant nitrogen into ammonia in a sustainable way at room temperature would be an ideal alternative to the currently dominant Haber-Bosch process. However, the rational design and synthesis of efficient and stable noble-metal-free electrocatalysts for the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) still represents a major challenge. Herein, novel Cu2SnS3 nanocrystals with a uniform nanostructure were prepared through a hydrothermal approach by tuning the heating time. Electrochemical measurements demonstrated that Cu2SnS3 synthesized by heating at 200 degrees C for 10 h achieved a faradaic efficiency for the NRR of 8.87 % and a NH3 yield of 8.22 mu g h-1 mg cat-1 at-0.4 V in 0.1 M Na2SO4. These results suggest a feasible new route toward the rational design of NRR catalysts with high stability and selectivity for use in clean energy conversion.