Advances in Multiple Active Site Catalysts for Urea Synthesis via Electrocatalytic C–N Coupling

Yihang Yu; Jingwei Li; Zhongwei Yue; Meiting Guo; Zhishan Li; Mohamed Nawfal Ghazzal; Wei Li; San Ping Jiang; Yi-Bing Cheng; Jianyun Zheng

doi:10.1007/s12209-025-00444-2

Transactions of Tianjin University ›› :1 -20. DOI: 10.1007/s12209-025-00444-2

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Advances in Multiple Active Site Catalysts for Urea Synthesis via Electrocatalytic C–N Coupling

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¹ State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, 430070, Wuhan, China

² National Energy Key Laboratory for New Hydrogen-Ammonia Energy Technologies, Foshan Xianhu Laboratory, 528200, Foshan, China

³ State Key Laboratory of Chem/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, 410082, Changsha, China

⁴ UMR 8000 CNRS, Institut de Chimie Physique, Université Paris-Saclay, 91405, Orsay, France

Corresponding author:

^a lijingwei@xhlab.cn

^b yibing.cheng@whut.edu.cn

^c jyzheng@hnu.edu.cn

Yihang Yu

Yihang Yu He pursued his master's degree at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology. Currently, he is a joint-training master's student between Wuhan University of Technology and Foshan Xianhu Laboratory, with his current research focus on electrocatalytic ammonia synthesis.

Dr. Jingwei Li

Jingwei Li is affiliated at the National Energy Key Laboratory for New Hydrogen Ammonia Energy Technologies Foshan Xianhu Laboratory. He earned his Ph.D. from Sun Yat sen University, complemented by joint Ph.D. training at the Université Paris Saclay France. He is also a joint Master's training program at Curtin University, Australia. Following his doctorate, he conducted postdoctoral research at Université Paris Saclay. From September 2022 to September 2024, he served as an Associate Professor at Guangzhou University. Dr. Li's research focuses on heterojunction materials for photo/electrocatalytic nitrogen fixation and hydrogen production.

Zhongwei Yue

Zhongwei Yue obtained his Ph.D. degree in Materials Science at Fuzhou University, China, in June 2023. He is now a postdoc at Foshan Xianhu Laboratory, China. His research interests include development of electrode materials for PCFCs/protonic ceramic electrolysis cells (PCECs) and evolution of electrode/electrolyte interface.

Dr. Meiting Guo

Meiting Guo the assistant research fellow of National Energy Key Laboratory for New Hydrogen-ammonia Energy Technologies, Foshan Xianhu Laboratory. Her research interest focuses on the full coupled multiphysics modeling and performance optimization of large-scale solid oxide fuel cell and solid oxide electrolysis cell, the first-principle calculation, and the materials design based one experiment.

Zhishan Li

Zhishan Li obtained her Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering at Nanjing University of Science and Technology, China, in June, 2020. She is now an assistant researcher in Foshan Xianhu Laboratory, China. Her research interests include development of electrode materials for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs)/solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) and preparation of renewable synthetic fuels (green hydrogen/green ammonia).

Mohamed Nawfal Ghazzal

Mohamed Nawfal Ghazzal is an Associate Professor at the Université Paris-Saclay. He is now investigating strategies aiming at improving the light harvesting ability, the stability and designing photoactive material, such as core-shell, strong metal-support interactions, perovskites, graphdiyne for photocatalytic applications.

Wei Li

Wei Li is a full professor at Wuhan University of Technology (WHUT). He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from WHUT in 2006 and 2009, respectively. In 2013, he obtained his PhD degree from the University of New South Wales (UNSW). From 2013 to 2018, he worked as a research fellow at UNSW and Monash University. His current research interest focuses on high-efficiency perovskite solar cells and micro structure characterizations for photovoltaic materials.

Dr. San Ping Jiang

San Ping Jiang is John Curtin Distinguished Emeritus Professor at WASM: Minerals, Energy & Chemical Engineering, Curtin University, Australia and Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Foshan Xianhu laboratory, Foshan, China. He obtained his Bachelor’s degrees from the South China University of Technology and PhD from The City University, London. Before joining Curtin University in 2010, Dr. Jiang worked at Essex University in UK, CSIRO Materials Science and Manufacturing Division, Australia, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Dr Jiang’s research interests encompass both solid oxide and proton exchange membrane fuel cells, water splitting, photocatalysis, nano-structured functional materials and high temperature solid state electrochemistry.

Yi-Bing Cheng

Yi-Bing Cheng Yi-Bing Cheng is a full professor at WHUT, China, and emeritus professor of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Monash University, Australia. He is an elected fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.

Jianyun Zheng

Jianyun Zheng received his Ph.D. degree in Physical Chemistry from Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2015. From September, 2015 to September, 2019, he successively worked in Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics as an assistant research fellow and Hunan University and Curtin University as a united postdoctoral researcher. Currently, he is as professor of College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering in Hunan University. His main interests focus on the preparation of semiconductor materials, design and assembly of photoelectrodes and photoelectrochemical devices, and their performance in photo(electro) catalysis including nitrogen reduction reaction, lithium extraction and water splitting.

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Abstract

Electrocatalytic C–N coupling technology offers a promising route for green and sustainable urea synthesis. However, this route faces challenges of low urea yield and Faradaic efficiency due to the high dissociation energy of atomic bonds in reactants, complex reaction intermediates, high reaction energy barriers, and competing side reactions. As C–N coupling involves the synergistic action of two or more active sites, it is crucial to develop efficient multi-active-site catalysts to address these challenges. This review analyzes the reaction mechanisms of electrocatalytic C–N coupling for urea synthesis and summarizes effective strategies to achieve multi-active-site catalysts, including heteroatom doping, defect engineering, heterojunctions, and diatomic catalysts. Furthermore, based on this analysis, we propose the universal design principles for high-efficiency multi-activesite catalysts.

Keywords

Electrocatalysis / Urea / Catalyst design / C–N coupling / Multi-active-site catalyst

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Yihang Yu, Jingwei Li, Zhongwei Yue, Meiting Guo, Zhishan Li, Mohamed Nawfal Ghazzal, Wei Li, San Ping Jiang, Yi-Bing Cheng, Jianyun Zheng. Advances in Multiple Active Site Catalysts for Urea Synthesis via Electrocatalytic C–N Coupling. Transactions of Tianjin University 1-20 DOI:10.1007/s12209-025-00444-2

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