Boosting Electrocatalytic Urea Production via Promoting Asymmetric C–N Coupling

Open AccessCCS ChemistryRESEARCH ARTICLES10 Jan 2023Boosting electrocatalytic urea production via promoting asymmetric C-N coupling Mengyi Qiu, Xiaorong Zhu, Shuowen Bo, Kai Cheng, Nihan He, Kaizhi Gu, Dezhong Song, Chen Chen, Xiaoxiao Wei, Dongdong Wang, Yingying Liu, Shuang Li, Xiaojin Tu, Yafei Li, Qinghua Liu, Conggang Li and Shuangyin Wang Mengyi Qiu Google Scholar More articles by this author , Xiaorong Zhu Google Scholar More articles by this author , Shuowen Bo Google Scholar More articles by this author , Kai Cheng Google Scholar More articles by this author , Nihan He Google Scholar More articles by this author , Kaizhi Gu Google Scholar More articles by this author , Dezhong Song Google Scholar More articles by this author , Chen Chen Google Scholar More articles by this author , Xiaoxiao Wei Google Scholar More articles by this author , Dongdong Wang Google Scholar More articles by this author , Yingying Liu Google Scholar More articles by this author , Shuang Li Google Scholar More articles by this author , Xiaojin Tu Google Scholar More articles by this author , Yafei Li Google Scholar More articles by this author , Qinghua Liu Google Scholar More articles by this author , Conggang Li Google Scholar More articles by this author and Shuangyin Wang Google Scholar More articles by this author https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.023.202202408 SectionsSupplemental MaterialAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail The electrocatalytic C-N coupling shows great potential in direct and sustainable urea synthesis. However, the mechanism of interaction between catalytic sites and intermediate species is unclear currently, and the corresponding strategies to boost urea synthesis are urgent to be explored. Herein, we demonstrated that the multihole structure could preserve the Cu+ component of Cu2O spheres under electrochemical reduction conditions. The in-situ formed Cu0-Cu+ site promoted the asymmetric coupling process of *CO and *NO thermodynamically and kinetically, conducive to boost the urea production. The impressive urea yield rates of 29.2 mmol h-1 g-1 and 114.0 mmol h-1 g-1 were realized for electrochemical coupling of CO2 with nitrate and nitrite respectively. The multihole-Cu2O exhibits both superior activity and long-term stability compared to the electrocatalysts with reconstructed Cu0-dominated surface. This work provides insights into the identification and design of the active site for C-N coupling and urea synthesis. Download figure Download PowerPoint Previous articleNext article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Issue AssignmentVolume 0Issue jaPage: 1-63Supporting Information Copyright & Permissions© 2023 Chinese Chemical Society Downloaded 133 times PDF downloadLoading ...