CO2/NOx-involved Electrochemical C-N Coupling Reactions

With the excessive use of fossil fuels leading to significant CO2 emissions, and the continuous increase of NOx in water bodies and soils, the use of electrochemical methods for the conversion of CO2 and NOx has garnered widespread attention as a green chemical approach due to its advantages of being environmentally friendly, low-carbon, and straightforward. C-N bonds are widely present in many value-added chemicals, such as urea, amides, and oximes. However, traditional methods for constructing C-N bonds typically involve thermochemical processes. Therefore, using electrochemical methods to catalyze the reduction of CO2 and NOx for C-N bond formation has emerged as a green and sustainable alternative. This paper summarizes the research progress of electrochemical C-N bond construction involving CO2 and NOx from the perspectives of reaction mechanisms and catalytic system construction, reviews the electrochemical synthesis of urea, amines, amides, and oximes through electrochemical C-N bond construction, and finally analyzes the current problems and challenges in the field, providing prospects for its future development.