Editable semiconductor photo-electrodes for sustainable ammonia synthesis

Powered by an inexhaustible supply of solar energy, photoelectrochemical (PEC) nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) provides an ideal solution for the synthesis of green ammonia (NH₃). Although great efforts have been made in the past decades, there are still significant challenges in increasing the NH₃ yields of the PEC-NRR devices. In addition to the issues of low activity and selectivity similar to electrochemical NRR, the progress of PEC-NRR is also impeded by the limited increase in NH₃ yields as the electrode is enlarged. Here, we propose an editable electrode design strategy that parallels unit photo-electrodes to achieve a linear increase in NH₃ yields with electrode active area. We demonstrate that the editable electrode design strategy minimizes the electrode charge transfer resistance, allowing more photo-generated carriers to reach the electrode surface and promote the catalytic reaction. We believe that this editable electrode design strategy provides an avenue to achieve sustainable PEC NH₃ production.