Availability and reactivity of N 2 (v) for NH 3 synthesis by plasma catalysis

Production of vibrationally excited N 2 (N 2 ( v )) in atmospheric pressure nonthermal plasma and loss of N 2 ( v ) by gas-phase reactions and reactions on catalytic surfaces are analyzed to examine the role of N 2 ( v ) in NH 3 formation by plasma catalysis. Vibrational state-to-state kinetic models complemented with molecular beam mass spectrometry (MBMS) measurements demonstrate that N 2 ( v > 0) is produced with densities 100× greater than the density of N radicals by a radiofrequency atmospheric pressure plasma jet. The experimentally measured loss of N 2 ( v ) corresponds with a state-to-state kinetic model that describes loss of N 2 ( v ) by surface-mediated vibrational relaxation without consideration of reactions that convert N 2 ( v ) to NH 3 over the catalyst surface. Rate constants for vibrational relaxation of N 2 ( v ) on catalyst surfaces exceed upper bounds on proposed rate constants for NH 3 formation reactions from N 2 ( v ) over Fe when v < 9, Ni when v < 18, and Ag when v < 39, which indicates that only higher vibrational levels can possibly contribute to catalytic NH 3 formation faster than they undergo vibrational relaxation on the surface. Densities of N 2 ( v > 8), vibrational levels that can possibly react over Fe to form NH 3 faster than they undergo vibrational relaxation, are less than or similar to N densities at the inlet of the catalyst bed and measured NH 3 formation for the investigated conditions in this work, while densities of N 2 ( v > 17) and N 2 ( v > 38) are orders of magnitude below the N density at the inlet of the catalyst bed and the measured NH 3 formation. The loss of N 2 ( v ) by vibrational relaxation on the surface limits the ability of N 2 ( v ) to contribute to catalytic NH 3 formation and explains why N 2 ( v ) does not produce NH 3 in quantities that are comparable to NH 3 formation from N even though N 2 ( v > 0) is more abundantly produced by the plasma.