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Breakthrough in Ammonia Synthesis: Researchers Develop Carbon Nanotubes Enhanced Catalyst

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Research conducted by a team of scientists at Zhejiang University has led to a significant breakthrough in ammonia synthesis. The team developed a low-ruthenium catalyst, RuFe-CeO2-CNT, which contains ruthenium-iron alloy nanoclusters, cerium dioxide nanorods, and carbon nanotubes. This innovative catalyst has demonstrated excellent catalytic activity, surpassing that of traditional RuFe-CeO2 catalyst while reducing ruthenium loading by 36%.

Key Takeaways:

  • The researchers developed a low-ruthenium catalyst, RuFe-CeO2-CNT, which comprises ruthenium-iron alloy nanoclusters, cerium dioxide nanorods, and carbon nanotubes.
  • The catalyst was synthesized through self-catalytic pyrolysis of dicyandiamide (DICY) and RuFeCe-BTC precursors.
  • Financial support for the research came from Zhejiang Provincial Key Research and Development Program -China.
  • The RuFe-CeO2-CNT catalyst showed excellent catalytic activity, achieving an optimal ammonia production rate of 14.80 mmol/g-cat/h at 400°C and 5 MPa.
  • The catalyst demonstrated a low apparent activation energy of 42.11 kJ/mol, surpassing that of traditional RuFe-CeO2 catalyst.
  • The use of carbon nanotubes facilitated H2 and NH3 desorption from Ru active sites, suppressing intermediate poisoning and boosting catalytic activity.
  • Additional authors for the research include Hao Li, Guorun Dai, and Yuxiang Mao.

Statistics:

  • The optimal ammonia production rate achieved by the RuFe-CeO2-CNT catalyst was 14.80 mmol/g-cat/h at 400°C and 5 MPa.
  • The catalyst demonstrated a low apparent activation energy of 42.11 kJ/mol.
  • The use of carbon nanotubes reduced ruthenium loading by 36% compared to traditional RuFe-CeO2 catalyst.
  • The research has been peer-reviewed and published in the journal Molecular Catalysis.

Sources:

  • NewsRx. New Carbon Nanotubes Study Findings Recently Were Reported by Researchers at Zhejiang University (Carbon Nanotubes Enhanced Hydrogen and Ammonia Desorption for Efficient Ammonia Synthesis On a Low-ruthenium Catalyst). Nanotechnology Weekly. November 3, 2025; p 1572.
  • Zhang et al. Carbon Nanotubes Enhanced Hydrogen and Ammonia Desorption for Efficient Ammonia Synthesis On a Low-ruthenium Catalyst. Molecular Catalysis, 2025;586.

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