Synergy of Au Single Atoms and Amorphous MoO₃ to Promote Urea Electrosynthesis

The electrochemical conversion of CO2 and NO3– into valuable urea represents a promising strategy for both greenhouse gas mitigation and nutrient pollution management. Herein, we develop Au single atoms confined in amorphous MoO3 (AuSA/AMO) as an efficient and robust catalyst for urea electrosynthesis from the co-reduction of NO3– and CO2. Notably, AuSA/AMO achieves a Faradic efficiency of 64.28% with a corresponding urea yield rate of 29.97 mmol h–1g–1 in a flow cell, outperforming most existing catalysts. Operando spectroscopic analysis combined with theoretical calculations reveals the synergy of Au single atoms and amorphous MoO3 to promote the C–N coupling and hydrogenation steps toward the urea generation.