Overcoming Electrostatic Interaction via Pulsed Electroreduction for Boosting the Electrocatalytic Urea Synthesis

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Sustainable Chemistry

Background:

• Traditional urea production is energy-intensive.
• Electrocatalytic urea synthesis faces challenges due to anion reduction at the cathode.
• Overcoming electrostatic interactions is key for efficient electrocatalysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel strategy for electrocatalytic urea synthesis under ambient conditions.
• To investigate the use of pulsed electroreduction to overcome electrostatic limitations.
• To evaluate the performance of CuSiOₓ nanotubes as electrocatalysts for urea synthesis.

Main Methods:

• Utilized pulsed electroreduction to enhance anion transport.
• Employed reconstruction-resistant CuSiOₓ nanotubes with Cu-O-Si interfacial sites.
• Tested the electrosynthesis of urea from nitrate and CO₂ under optimized conditions.

Main Results:

• Achieved a high urea production rate of 1606.1 μg h⁻¹ mg⁻¹.
• Demonstrated high selectivity (79.01%) and stability (80% Faradaic efficiency after 80 h).
• CuSiOₓ nanotubes exhibited ultrastability due to abundant atomic Cu-O-Si interfacial sites.

Conclusions:

• Pulsed electroreduction is an effective strategy to enhance substrate transport and overcome electrostatic interactions.
• CuSiOₓ nanotubes show great promise for ambient urea electrosynthesis.
• The findings may guide the design of future energy conversion systems for sustainable chemical production.