# Cobalt catalyst demonstrates ammonia synthesis at 300 °C

_Published Monday, November 2, 2026 at 6:02 PM EST · Science · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Cobalt catalyst demonstrates ammonia synthesis at 300 °C — Primary](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2026/molecular-dinitrogen-a.jpg)

Researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo developed a cobalt-containing catalyst that produced ammonia at 15.9 mmol per gram of catalyst per hour at 300 °C and 0.9 MPa. The study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, demonstrates a route that avoids precious metals.

The team formed an ultrathin barium-containing shell on aluminum oxide nanorods, with cobalt clusters on its surface. Activated nitrogen ions at the interfaces weaken the nitrogen-nitrogen bond, while cobalt and aluminum assist subsequent reaction steps. Professor Masaaki Kitano said the optimized catalyst surpassed benchmark ruthenium-based and industrial iron catalysts under the study's conditions.

## Sources

- [Phys.org](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-molecular-dinitrogen-anions-pave-temperature.html)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/UEUtCqxb1ucGWyYaFUDAt4
Published: 2026-11-02T23:02:23.350Z
Story chronology: 2026-11-02T21:20:08.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-11-03T01:42:54.139Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)