Karthish Manthiram won the Infosys Prize 2025 in Physical Sciences. What problem in industrial chemistry does his work address?
- Replacing Haber-Bosch ammonia synthesis with electrochemical routes using renewable electricity
- Designing solar panels with perovskite materials for rural electrification
- Developing room-temperature superconductors for power transmission
- Building compact nuclear reactors for decentralised electricity generation
Answer: Replacing fossil-fuel-based Haber-Bosch ammonia synthesis with electrochemical routes using renewable electricity
The conventional Haber-Bosch process produces ammonia (used in fertilisers feeding ~50% of the world) by reacting nitrogen with hydrogen at high temperature and pressure, using natural gas as both fuel and hydrogen source. Manthiram at Caltech developed electrochemical pathways — including lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction and oxygen-atom transfer catalysis — that use renewable electricity instead, at room temperature and pressure, reducing the process's carbon footprint.