Stable Cuδ+ sites derived from analogous rectifying interface in AgCu biphasic aerogels for efficient urea electrosynthesis at low potential
Urea electrosynthesis through CO<sub>2</sub> and NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> coupling presents a promising alternative to energy-intensive industrial processes. However, intricate catalytic mechanisms and competitive reactions impede achieving high-efficiency C-N coupling. Herein, we constructed analogous rectifying interfaces in AgCu biphasic aerogels, by leveraging electronegativity difference to derive stable Cu<sup>δ+</sup> active sites, which simultaneously promoted *NOH adsorption and *CO coverage, thereby improving C-N coupling dynamics, confirmed by both operando technique and theoretical calculations. Specifically, notable urea yield (54.8 mmol h<sup>-1</sup> g<sub>cat.</sub><sup>-1</sup>) with Faradaic efficiency (FE, 36.6%) at a low potential (-0.52 V vs. RHE) was achieved using Ag<sub>67</sub>Cu<sub>33</sub> in a flow-cell. As a proof-of-concept demonstration for practicability, Ag<sub>67</sub>Cu<sub>33</sub> exhibited bifunctional electrosynthesis for urea (FE: 56.07%, yield: 104.6 mmol h<sup>-1</sup> g<sub>cat.</sub><sup>-1</sup>) and HCOOH (FE: over 90%) at 40 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> in two-electrode system, with durability over 60 h. This work provides an indicative rationale to construct active sites for C-N coupling, facilitating the development of urea electrosynthesis.
Authors
- Genqiang Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4887-536X)
- Bocheng Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2093-6442)
- S. Wang
- Buqi Ke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4619-9591)
- Jing Xia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4496-5520)
- Mingyu Cheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9238-6339)
- Yanxu Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1828-8837)
- Zechuan Dai
- Pingyi Feng
- Fuqiang Huang
Institutions
- University of Science and Technology of China (CN)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Hefei National Center for Physical Sciences at Nanoscale (CN)
- Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2026-01-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65857-y
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 12.85
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- University of Science and Technology of China
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory