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Abstract: An ordered mesh of palladium with a thickness of about 3 nm was synthesized by a solution‐based oxidative etching. The ultrathin palladium nanomeshes have an interconnected two‐dimensional network of densely arrayed, ultrathin quasi‐nanoribbons that form ordered open holes. The unique mesoporous structure and high specific surface area make these ultrathin Pd nanomeshes display superior catalytic performance for ethanol electrooxidation (mass activity of 5.40 Am g−1 and specific activity of 7.09 mA cm−2 at 0.8 V vs. RHE). Furthermore, the regular mesh structure can be applied to support other noble metals, such as platinum, which exhibits extremely high hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity and durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract The electrochemical reduction of N 2 offers a compelling strategy for environmentally friendly and energy-efficient synthesis of NH 3 , which suffers from low Faradaic efficiency. Atomically dispersed catalysts are regarded to perform high Faradaic efficiency due to uniform catalytic active sites. In this study, an atomically dispersed Au 1 catalyst achieves a high NH 4 + formation Faradaic efficiency as well as a promising energy efficiency. Abstract Tremendous efforts have been devoted to explore energy-efficient strategies of ammonia synthesis to replace Haber–Bosch process which accounts for 1.4% of the annual energy consumption. In this study, atomically dispersed Au 1 catalyst is synthesized and applied in electrochemical synthesis of ammonia under ambient conditions. A high NH 4 + Faradaic efficiency of 11.1% achieved by our Au 1 catalyst surpasses most of reported catalysts under comparable conditions. Benefiting from efficient atom utilization, an NH 4 + yield rate of 1,305 μg h−1 mg Au −1 has been reached, which is roughly 22.5 times as high as that by supported Au nanoparticles. We also demonstrate that by employing our Au 1 catalyst, NH 4 + can be electrochemically produced directly from N 2 and H 2 with an energy utilization rate of 4.02 mmol kJ−1. Our study provides a possibility of replacing the Haber–Bosch process with environmentally benign and energy-efficient electrochemical strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]