Aug 2026· Nano letters (Print)· Vol 26 34, pp.
11470-11478
· 0 citations· 48 references
Medicine
Abstract
Electrochemical urea synthesis from CO2 and nitrite (NO2-) offers a sustainable route for carbon and nitrogen cycling, yet it is hindered by the kinetic imbalance between the sluggish CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) and the more facile nitrite reduction reaction (NO2RR). Inspired by the rhizobial cell wall, a natural multifunctional interface that coordinates gas, ion, and molecular transport, we designed a cell-wall-mimetic electrocatalyst featuring a Cu2O/Cu core encapsulated within a pyrrolic-N-containing graphitized porous carbon shell (Cu2O/Cu@C). This bioinspired architecture functions as a nanoregulator to structure a high-density triple-phase interface (gas-liquid-solid interface), manage wettability for concurrent CO2 and electrolyte access, enrich key reactive intermediates, and stabilize the active core. The catalyst achieves a urea yield rate of 50.2 mmol/g/h with a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 60.6% at -0.6 V, demonstrating that mimicking biological interface principles can effectively harmonize kinetic mismatches in complex cooperative electrocatalysis.
As a crucial anodic pathway, the urea oxidation reaction (UOR) holds immense potential for the purification of nitrogenous sewage as well as the energy-saving generation of hydrogen power. However, conventional nickel-based catalysts often trigger detrimental C–N bond cleavage of urea, yielding deleterious by-product...
Earth-abundant transition-metal electrocatalysts often degrade in acidic or neutral media due to reconstruction and leaching, hindering their use for deep electrooxidation processes like the conversion of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), a key monomer for sustainable...
Can Lei, Yuan-Yuan Meng, Hong-Rui Sheng et al.· ACS Central Science· 0 citations
The anthropogenic acceleration of the nitrogen cycle has exacerbated nitrate contamination in water bodies, posing threats to both ecological balance and public health. Conventional physicochemical separation and biological denitrification technologies suffer from high costs, secondary pollution, or resource wastage. T...
Chun-Lei Dang, Jing Jiang, Lin Zhao et al.· Langmuir· 0 citations
The electrocatalytic co-reduction of CO2 and nitrate to urea offers a sustainable route for carbon fixation, nitrogen waste recycling, and high-value chemical production. However, the rational design of efficient electrocatalysts with synergistic activation capability toward both reactants and the ability to suppress s...
Renewable-electricity-driven carbon monoxide reduction (CORR) for synthesizing multi-carbon (C2+) products offers immense appeal as a route for energy storage and carbon recycling. Yet, producing extended-carbon products such as n-propanol with high market value remains challenging due to the relative rarity of the *...
Da-Zhong Zhong, Run-Xin Du, Tan Li et al.· ACS Catalysis· 0 citations
Electrocatalytic nitric oxide reduction to ammonia (NORR) offers a dual opportunity for NO remediation and decentralized NH3 production, yet its efficiency is often limited by competing pathways and unclear structure-function relationships. Here we introduce a reactant-shunting strategy that installs a guiding electroc...
