Special Seminar

Hydrogen and ammonia are broadly recognized as significant future energy carriers, while remaining some of the most important commodity chemicals. Notwithstanding water electrolysis is a more than two-century-old technology, it is yet to become a major pathway towards industrial H2 production, especially using renewable electricity and seawater in the most sustainable version of this process. The synthesis of NH3 can be also entirely powered by renewables in an electrochemical process, although broad deployment of this technology is unlikely to be achieved immediately. The talk will introduce our vision of the evolution of the ammonia economy with a particular focus on the NH3 generation pathways. In the context of the ammonia electrosynthesis using H2 as a source of protons and electrons, our recent developments in the non-conventional water electrolysis strategies will be discussed, followed by the demonstration of the challenges of the hydrogen oxidation reaction under the N2 reduction conditions. Further, the talk will focus on our latest progress in the electrochemical conversion of N2 to NH3 via a redox mediated mechanism. Our efforts towards commercialization of the ammonia electrosynthesis through a spin-out company Jupiter Ionics Pty Ltd will be briefly highlighted.