Atomically Dispersed Cu on In<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> for Relay Electrocatalytic Conversion of Nitrate and CO<sub>2</sub> to Urea.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 39185627.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/acsnano.4c09141.
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Abstract
Urea electrosynthesis from coelectrolysis of NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> and CO<sub>2</sub> (UENC) holds a significant prospect to achieve efficient and sustainable urea production. Herein, atomically dispersed Cu on In<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> (Cu<sub>1</sub>/In<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) is designed as an effective and robust catalyst for the UENC. Combined theoretical calculations and in situ spectroscopic analysis reveal the synergistic effect of the Cu<sub>1</sub>-O<sub>2</sub>-In site and the In site to boost the UENC energetics via a relay catalysis pathway, where the Cu<sub>1</sub>-O<sub>2</sub>-In site drives *NO<sub>3</sub> → *NH<sub>2</sub> and the In site catalyzes *CO<sub>2</sub> → *CO. The generated *CO is then migrated from the In site to the Cu<sub>1</sub>-O<sub>2</sub>-In site, followed by C-N coupling with *NH<sub>2</sub> on the Cu<sub>1</sub>-O<sub>2</sub>-In site to generate urea. Consequently, Cu<sub>1</sub>/In<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> assembled within a flow cell exhibits an impressive urea yield rate of 28.97 mmol h<sup>-1</sup> g<sup>-1</sup> with a urea-Faradaic efficiency (FE<sub>urea</sub>) of 50.88%.