Trace Cu-Induced Low C―N Coupling Barrier on Amorphous Co Metallene Boride for Boosting Electrochemical Urea Production

The electrochemical C & horbar;N coupling of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrate(NO3-) is an alternative strategy to the traditional high-energy industrial pathway for urea synthesis, which urgently requires the design of efficient catalysts to achieve high yield and Faraday efficiency (FE). Here, amorphous low-content copper-doped cobalt metallene boride (a-Cu0.1CoBx metallene) is designed for urea synthesis via electrochemical C & horbar;N coupling. The a-Cu0.1CoBx metallene can drive electrocatalytic C & horbar;N coupling of CO2 and NO3- for urea synthesis in CO2-saturated 0.1 m KNO3 electrolyte, with 27.7% of FE and 312 mu g h-1 mg-1cat. of yield at -0.5 V, as well as superior cycling stability. The in situ Fourier transform infrared and theoretical calculations reveal that electronic effect between Cu, Co, and B causes Cu and Co as dual active sites to promote the adsorption of reactants. Furthermore, the introduced trace Cu reduces the reaction energy barrier of the C & horbar;N coupling to facilitate urea synthesis. This work provides a promising route for the optimization of Co-based metallene for the electrosynthesis of urea through C & horbar;N coupling. The a-Cu0.1CoBx metallene is fabricated for electrocatalytic C & horbar;N coupling of CO2 and nitrate, with improved performance for urea electrolysis due to the strong electronic effect and 2D amorphous structure. image