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Pulse-Driven Paired Electrosynthesis of Formamide via Redox-Tuned Intermediate Management
Xiang-Da Zhang1,2, Pengsong Li1,2, Yong Wang1,2
1Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Laboratory of Colloid and Interface and Thermodynamics, CAS Research/Education Centre for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Centre for Carbon Neutral Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China.
A novel pulsed electrosynthesis strategy boosts sustainable formamide (HCONH2) production using a CuPd catalyst. This method enhances electron utilization and Faradaic efficiency (FE) for greener chemical synthesis.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Sustainable Chemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- Electrocatalytic systems offer a sustainable route for formamide (HCONH2) synthesis.
- Current methods suffer from low Faradaic efficiency (FE) due to inefficient electron use in unipolar C-N coupling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an efficient and sustainable electrocatalytic system for formamide synthesis.
- To overcome the limitations of low FE and electron utilization in existing methods.
Main Methods:
- A pulsed paired electrosynthesis strategy was employed in an undivided cell.
- An atomically ordered CuPd catalyst was used with methanol (CH3OH) and nitrite (NO2-) as feedstocks.
- Pulsed potentials were applied (Ea = 1.3 V, ta = 10 s; Ec = -0.7 V, tc = 10 s).
Main Results:
- Simultaneous HCONH2 production at both electrodes was achieved with high efficiency.
- A record FE of 85.6% for HCONH2 was obtained at a current density of 81.5 mA cm-2.
- A high yield of 263.3 μmol·h-1·cm-2 was demonstrated.
Conclusions:
- The redox-tuned pulsed operation enables sequential catalyst function, driving efficient C-N coupling.
- This strategy significantly improves electron utilization and system efficiency for HCONH2 synthesis.
- The approach shows strong potential for industrial application in renewable energy markets.
