Investigating Cation effects in the Lithium Mediated Nitrogen Reduction Reaction

In the Li-mediated nitrogen reduction reaction (Li-NRR), Li plated electrochemically from an organic electrolyte reacts with N2 forming Li-N species, which are protonated, yielding ammonia (NH3). A solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is formed from reactions of the electrolyte with Li. The SEI is essential in regulating transport of reactants to the electrode to mitigate the competing hydrogen evolution reaction. Previous synchrotron experiments with new diglyme based electrolytes and a PtAu catalyst on a gas diffusion counter electrode yielded valuable insights into the SEI under conditions close to the state of art. Recent studies have shown that the addition of cations (K+ or Na+) can either have a beneficial or detrimentla impact on performance. Here we aim to understand the impact of the added cations on the SEI layer and the subsequent effect on Li-NRR performance