Atomically dispersed Ru on Cu3N for electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 and nitrite to urea

Abstract

Electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 and NO2− to urea (ECNU) represents a promising strategy for sustainable urea synthesis. In this study, atomically dispersed Ru on Cu3N (Ru1@Cu3N) is developed as a highly efficient and durable catalyst for the ECNU. In situ spectroscopic analysis combined with theoretical calculations reveals that Ru1 and Cu of Ru1@Cu3N serve as dual active sites to synergistically catalyze CO2 and NO2− electroreduction to form the key *CO and *NH2 intermediates, respectively, while Ru1 site further promotes CN coupling of *CO/*NH2 to generate urea. Notably, Ru1@Cu3N assembled in a flow cell achieves the remarkable ECNU performance with urea-Faradaic efficiency of 52.66 % and urea yield rate of 39.88mmol h−1 g−1 at −0.7 V, as well as an excellent electrolysis stability.