Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 18, 2026
09:35
Applying Dynamic Strain on Thin Oxide Films Immobilized on a Pseudoelastic Nickel-Titanium Alloy
Published on: July 28, 2020
5.3K
Potential-driven dynamic strain in chemical bonds for urea electrosynthesis.
Xin Zhang1, Hao Sun1, Hai-Yan Zheng2
1State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University Changchun Jilin 130024 China ljy121@jlu.edu.cn suzhongmin@jlu.edu.cn.
Chemical Science
|September 12, 2025
Summary
This study introduces a dynamic electrocatalyst system that adjusts copper-oxygen bond lengths to selectively enhance nitrate and carbon dioxide reduction for urea electrosynthesis, achieving high efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Electrocatalysis
- Materials Science
- Green Chemistry
Background:
- Optimizing urea electrosynthesis requires precise control over parallel nitrate (NO3-) and carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction pathways.
- Static electrocatalyst bond lengths in potentiostatic systems limit selective control over competing thermodynamic processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a potential-driven dynamic system for electrocatalysts to dynamically regulate bond lengths.
- To achieve selective control over nitrate and carbon dioxide reduction pathways for enhanced urea synthesis.
Main Methods:
- Constructed a Cu5-PPF electrocatalyst with dynamically tunable Cu-O bond lengths (2.12/2.24 Å to 2.37/2.34 Å).
- Utilized *in situ* spectroscopy and theoretical analyses to investigate reaction mechanisms.
- Performed controlled experiments with rigid catalysts (Cu3-TPF, Cu3-clusters) for comparison.
Main Results:
- The dynamic system achieved a urea Faradaic efficiency (FEurea) of up to 61.6%.
- Shorter Cu-O bonds favored the nitrate reduction pathway (*NO intermediates), while longer bonds enhanced CO2 adsorption and the *COOH pathway.
- Structurally rigid catalysts did not show improved performance, highlighting the importance of dynamic bond strain.
Conclusions:
- Potential-driven dynamic control of electrocatalyst bond lengths is crucial for optimizing parallel reaction pathways.
- This approach enables selective manipulation of surface intermediates for efficient urea electrosynthesis.
- Dynamic bond strain offers a new strategy for designing high-performance electrocatalysts.
Related Concept Videos
01:08IR Spectrum Peak Splitting: Symmetric vs Asymmetric Vibrations
1.8K
Identical bonds within a polyatomic group can stretch symmetrically (in-phase) or asymmetrically (out-of-phase). Similar to hydrogen bonding, these vibrations also influence the shape of the IR peak. Generally, asymmetric stretching frequencies are higher than symmetric stretching frequencies. For example, primary amines exhibit two distinct IR peaks between 3300–3500 cm−1 corresponding to the symmetric and asymmetric N-H stretching, while secondary amines exhibit a single...
1.8K
01:13Strain Energy
920
Strain energy is a fundamental concept in the field of materials science and structural engineering, describing the energy absorbed by a material or structure when it is deformed under load.
Consider a rod that is fixed at one end and subjected to an axial force at the free end. This axial force induces stress within the rod, leading to its elongation. As the axial force increases, so does the elongation of the rod, illustrating a direct relationship between the force applied and the resulting...
Consider a rod that is fixed at one end and subjected to an axial force at the free end. This axial force induces stress within the rod, leading to its elongation. As the axial force increases, so does the elongation of the rod, illustrating a direct relationship between the force applied and the resulting...
920
02:40Chemical Bonds
21.1K
Atoms participate in a chemical bond formation to acquire a completed valence-shell electron configuration similar to that of the noble gas nearest to it in atomic number. Ionic, covalent, and metallic bonds are some of the important types of chemical bonds. Bond energy and bond length determine the strength of a chemical bond.
Types of Chemical Bonds
An ionic bond is formed due to electrostatic attraction between cations and anions. Often, the ions are formed by the transfer of electrons...
21.1K
04:01VSEPR Theory and the Effect of Lone Pairs
52.7K
Effect of Lone Pairs of Electrons on Molecule Geometry
52.7K
01:27Inductive Effects on Chemical Shift: Overview
2.1K
The protons in unsubstituted alkanes are strongly shielded with chemical shifts below 1.8 ppm. Methine, methylene, and methyl protons appear at approximately 1.7, 1.2 and 0.7 ppm, while the proton signal from methane appears at 0.23 ppm. An electronegative substituent, such as chlorine, withdraws the electron density from the protons, increasing their chemical shift. Progressive substitution of the hydrogens in methane by chlorine shifts the proton signals increasingly downfield, to 3.05 ppm in...
2.1K
02:49Bond Energies and Bond Lengths
31.2K
Stable molecules exist because covalent bonds hold the atoms together. The strength of a covalent bond is measured by the energy required to break it, that is, the energy necessary to separate the bonded atoms. Separating any pair of bonded atoms requires energy — the stronger a bond, the greater the energy required to break it.
31.2K