26th Australian Institute of Physics Congress and the Australian and New Zealand Conference on Optics and Photonics

Interfacial Plasma Chemistry: from Origin of Life to Green Synthesis

Not scheduled

20m

Belinda Hutchinson Building (The University of Sydney )

Contributed Oral AIP | Solar Terrestrial and Space Physics (STSP)

Description

Inspired by cloud-to-ground lightning strikes on the early Earth, we designed a plasma setup to mimic lightning-induced reactions at gas-liquid-solid interfaces, starting from simple and abundant reagents, such as N2 and CO2 in the air, inorganic minerals commonly found in rocks, and water. Plasma electrochemical reactions at air-water-ground interfaces lead to remarkable yields, with up to 40 moles of CO2 being reduced into CO and formic acid, and 3 moles of N2 being fixed into nitrate, nitrite and ammonia, per mole of transmitted electrons. Interfaces enable reactants (e.g., mineral particles and soluble electrolytes) to participate in radical and redox reactions, leading to higher yields compared to gas-phase only reactions, and faster kinetics compared to solution-only electrochemistry. Beyond exploring lightning and the chemical Origin of Life, this plasma electrochemical platform can contribute to green chemical synthesis, such turning air and water into nitrogen fertilizers and sanitizers with minimal carbon footprint.

Reference:
Jiang, H. J.; Underwood, T. C.; Anderson, J. G.; Sasselov, D. D.; Whitesides, G. M.* et al.; (2024) “Mimicking Lightning-induced Electrochemistry on the Early Earth.”, PNAS, 121, e2400819121.