Electron Bridge Enhanced Charge Polarization Enables Efficient and Ultra‐Long Stable Urea Electrosynthesis
ABSTRACT Urea electrosynthesis from carbon dioxide and nitrates powered by green electricity is a zero‐carbon route for urea production. Simultaneously achieving high activity and long‐term stability is a prerequisite for the industrialization of urea electrosynthesis. In this study, we propose an electron bridge strategy based on a Pd 1 and Ni 1 dual single‐atom alloy to boost the electrocatalytic activity and durability for urea electrosynthesis. The single‐atom Ni 1 sites act as electron bridges to promote charge transfer from Cu to Pd 1 sites, leading to charge‐polarized Pd–Cu sites, which upshift the d‐band center and improve oxidation resistance of the catalyst. Consequently, the Pd 1 and Ni 1 dual single‐atom sites simultaneously accelerates both carbon dioxide reduction and nitrates reduction half‐reactions, while facilitating the first C–N coupling step. The Pd 1 and Ni 1 dual single‐atom alloys deliver a urea yield rate of 541.6 mmol g cat −1 h −1 with a urea Faradaic efficiency of 57.3%. Remarkably, this catalyst achieves a record durability of 1700 h at a current density of 40 mA cm −2 . This work provides new insights into the synergistic catalysis of complex multi‐molecule reactions through cooperative multiple active sites.
Authors
- Guoxiu Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4295-8578)
- Wei Ye (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4905-2015)
- Zhongchao Bai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6023-9900)
- Weiliu Fan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8186-4454)
- Nana Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1947-5079)
- Wei Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8753-3579)
- Fenglin Xie
- Ruijie Zhou
- Junrong Zou
- Haixia Wang
- Peng Gao
- Fan Wu
Institutions
- University of Technology Sydney (AU)
- University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (CN)
- Shandong University (CN)
- Hangzhou Normal University (CN)
- University of Jinan (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie
- Published
- 2026-09-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.2196422
- Primary Topic
- Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province