Three-Site Catalysis of In₁-MoB₂ to Boost Urea Electrosynthesis.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Urea synthesis is crucial for agriculture and industry.
• Current methods for urea synthesis often involve harsh conditions and significant energy input.
• Developing efficient and sustainable electrocatalytic routes for urea production is an active area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel single-atom catalyst for efficient urea synthesis.
• To investigate the catalytic mechanism of single-atom indium on molybdenum diboride (In1-MoB2).
• To explore a plasma-electrocatalytic route for enhanced urea production.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of single-atom indium on molybdenum diboride (In1-MoB2) catalyst.
• Electrocatalytic co-electrolysis of nitrate (NO3-) and carbon dioxide (CO2).
• Mechanistic studies to elucidate the catalytic pathway.
• Integration of plasma-driven air oxidation with electrocatalysis.

Main Results:

• In1-MoB2 demonstrates efficient urea synthesis from NO3- and CO2 co-electrolysis.
• A three-site synergistic catalysis mechanism involving In1/B and Mo sites was identified.
• The plasma-electrocatalytic route achieved a high Faradaic efficiency of 80.4% and a urea yield rate of 116.5 mmol h-1 g-1.

Conclusions:

• Single-atom In1-MoB2 is a highly efficient catalyst for electrocatalytic urea synthesis.
• The synergistic mechanism facilitates key intermediate formation, C-N coupling, and protonation for urea generation.
• The integrated plasma-electrocatalytic approach offers a promising pathway for sustainable and high-performance urea production.