journal article·2026-06-26

Tailoring Key Intermediates via Au‐Co Dual Sites for Urea Electrosynthesis From Co‐Reduction of CO 2 and Nitrate

Bowen Li, Changlin Lin, Qi Wang, Kaiyang Xu, Keqing Li, Jun Fang, Jian Chen, Shuqin Song, Yi Wang

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Abstract

ABSTRACT The electrochemical coupling of CO 2 and NO 3 − presents a sustainable strategy for urea production while simultaneously addressing wastewater denitrification. Yet, the overall efficiency is hindered by the non‐selective adsorption of reactants on conventional catalysts. This lack of selectivity prevents the spatially aligned interaction between key C‐ and N‐intermediates, which are essential for efficient C–N bond formation. Herein, a dual‐site catalyst Au 24 Cd/CZ9‐700, is rationally designed for urea electrosynthesis. The catalyst delivers a peak urea production rate of 668.60 µg h −1 cm −2 and a high Faradaic efficiency of 33.57% (−0.1 V) with stable electrolysis over 145 h. In situ characterizations combined with theoretical calculations confirm that the *CO intermediate is selectively generated and retained at the Au sites, whereas the *NH 2 species is preferentially produced and released from the Co sites. The nucleophilicity of *NH 2 and the thermodynamic favorability of C–N coupling drive an efficient cascade electrocatalytic synthesis of urea. This work establishes a paradigm for precise intermediate management via synergistic dual‐site engineering, providing a fundamental strategy for the design of advanced electrocatalytic systems toward value‐added C–N compounds.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction · CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts · Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

The Key Lab of Low‐Carbon Chemistry & Energy Conservation of Guangdong Province, PCFM Lab, School of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China

School of Chemistry Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province

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