Electrifying Ammonia Synthesis and Decomposition by Prof Ib Chorkendorff
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Join us at the IAS-MSE Distinguished Speaker Seminar by Prof Ib Chorkendorff from the Technical University of Denmark, co-organised with the Graduate Students Club of the School Material Science and Engineering (MSE).
"Electrifying Ammonia Synthesis and Decomposition"
In a fossil-free future, electricity will become a dominant energy source, creating a growing need for efficient energy storage. Electrifying existing industrial processes can substantially reduce energy consumption and CO₂ emissions.
Ammonia is essential for fertiliser production and is increasingly considered an energy carrier for long-term storage. This talk will discuss advances in electrochemical ammonia synthesis under ambient conditions using the Li-mediated process. Recent developments have increased Faradaic efficiency to over 80% at high current densities, while enabling scale-up to gram-level ammonia production. The formation of the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) and remaining challenges in energy efficiency will also be discussed.
Alternative approaches to the conventional Haber-Bosch process will be explored, including promoted thermal ammonia synthesis and decomposition using cobalt catalysts. The talk will conclude with ammonia cracking technologies for potential applications in the shipping industry.
About the speaker:
Ib Chorkendorff is a professor of heterogeneous catalysis in the Department of Physics at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), where he heads research in surface physics and catalysis. His research focuses on heterogeneous, electro- and photocatalysis, surface science, reaction kinetics, and sustainable energy conversion, including hydrogen production, fuel cells, Power-to-X, and electrochemical ammonia synthesis.