Within one month, Biaobiao Zhang’s group has published their work in JACS Au and ACS Catalysis, revealing the crucial role of anionic ligands in the electrocatalytic ammonia oxidation reaction.
The research group of Zhang Biaobiao at Westlake University, in collaboration with the research group of Liao Rongzhen at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, published their work in JACS Au and ACS Catalysis recently. The paper is titled “Electrocatalytic Ammonia Oxidation by a Ruthenium Complex Bearing a 2,6-Pyridinedicarboxylate Ligand” and “Electrochemical Ammonia Oxidation Catalyzed by a Ruthenium Complex with a Dangling Sulfonate Group.”
These two studies report that the anionic pyridine-based ligands play a crucial role in stabilizing high oxidation states of metal centers through electronic effects and facilitating proton transfer during electrocatalytic ammonia oxidation via hydrogen bonding networks. This dual-action mechanism synergistically overcomes catalytic bottlenecks.
Ph.D. Student Jun Li and Huatian Xiong from Westlake university are the first authors of the two papers, respectively. Professor Rongzhen Liao from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Dr. Jiayi Chen, and Professor Biaobiao Zhang, the Principal Investigator at the School of Science and the Center for Artificial Photosynthesis and Solar Fuels of Westlake University, are the corresponding authors of the publications.