Efficient electrosynthesis of formamide from carbon monoxide and nitrite on a Ru-dispersed Cu nanocluster catalyst

Abstract Conversion into high-value-added organic nitrogen compounds through electrochemical C-N coupling reactions under ambient conditions is regarded as a sustainable development strategy to achieve carbon neutrality and high-value utilization of harmful substances. Herein, we report an electroch...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jiao Lan, Zengxi Wei, Ying-Rui Lu, DeChao Chen, Shuangliang Zhao, Ting-Shan Chan, Yongwen Tan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2023-05-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38603-5
Description
Summary:Abstract Conversion into high-value-added organic nitrogen compounds through electrochemical C-N coupling reactions under ambient conditions is regarded as a sustainable development strategy to achieve carbon neutrality and high-value utilization of harmful substances. Herein, we report an electrochemical process for selective synthesis of high-valued formamide from carbon monoxide and nitrite with a Ru1Cu single-atom alloy under ambient conditions, which achieves a high formamide selectivity with Faradaic efficiency of 45.65 ± 0.76% at −0.5 V vs. RHE. In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy, coupled with in situ Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations results reveal that the adjacent Ru-Cu dual active sites can spontaneously couple *CO and *NH2 intermediates to realize a critical C-N coupling reaction, enabling high-performance electrosynthesis of formamide. This work offers insight into the high-value formamide electrocatalysis through coupling CO and NO2 − under ambient conditions, paving the way for the synthesis of more-sustainable and high-value chemical products.
ISSN:2041-1723