Ni–Fe Dual‐Site Polymer Catalyst for High Performance and Stable Electrochemical Urea Synthesis from CO <sub>2</sub> and NO <sub>3</sub> <sup>−</sup>
The electrochemical synthesis of urea from nitrate (NO<sub>3</sub> <sup>-</sup>) and carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) presents a sustainable alternative to conventional methods, mitigating pollution and reducing energy consumption. Herein, a rationally designed Ni-Fe bimetallic pyromellitic acid polymer catalyst (Ni-PMDA@Fe) is developed for efficient urea electrosynthesis. This metal-organic polymer provides structural robustness, abundant active sites, and a tunable coordination environment, optimizing C-N coupling kinetics. Ni-PMDA@Fe achieves a urea yield of 449.56 mg h<sup>-1</sup> g<sub>cat</sub> <sup>-1</sup> and a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 41.06% at -0.5 V<sub>RHE</sub>, significantly surpassing monometallic controls (Ni-BDC, Ni-PMDA). Fe incorporation modulates the electronic structure of Ni, enhances charge transfer, and stabilizes key reaction intermediates, enabling synergistic NO<sub>3</sub> <sup>-</sup>/CO<sub>2</sub> coupling. Comprehensive characterization confirms homogeneous Fe doping and a dual-metal-site configuration. Unlike single-atom or monometallic systems, the Ni-Fe dual-site architecture optimally tunes the adsorption kinetics of critical intermediates. The catalyst maintains a FE exceeding 30% over a 30 h stability test, demonstrating robust operational stability. Furthermore, techno-economic analysis (TEA) indicates competitive production costs when powered by renewable energy, highlighting scalability potential. This word demonstrates a practical pathway for sustainable urea synthesis by converting pollutants (NO<sub>3</sub> <sup>-</sup>/CO<sub>2</sub>) into value-added product, thereby contributing to decarbonizing fertilizer production and mitigating nitrogen pollution.
Authors
- Zhenglong Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1753-4853)
- Q. J. Zhang
- Zhenghao Lyu
- Fengxia Wei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2058-5056)
- H. Y. Pan
- Hui Li
- Tianyi Ma
- Daming Feng
Institutions
- Liaoning University (CN)
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies (AU)
- Nanomaterials Research (United States) (US)
- Xi'an Technological University (CN)
- Zhejiang University of Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ChemSusChem
- Published
- 2026-03-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202502676
- Primary Topic
- Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00