Chemical Research in Chinese Universities ›› 2024, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (5): 764-775.doi: 10.1007/s40242-024-4118-1

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CO2/NOx-involved Electrochemical C-N Coupling Reactions

SUI Xiqing1,2, WU Limin1,2, JIA Shunhan1,2, JIN Xiangyuan1,2, SUN Xiaofu1,2, HAN Buxing1,2,3   

  1. 1. Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface and Thermodynamics, Center for Carbon Neutral Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China;
    2. School of Chemical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China;
    3. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, P. R. China
  • Received:2024-05-08 Online:2024-10-01 Published:2024-09-26
  • Contact: SUN Xiaofu,sunxiaofu@iccas.ac.cn;HAN Buxing,hanbx@iccas.ac.cn E-mail:sunxiaofu@iccas.ac.cn;hanbx@iccas.ac.cn
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos.22293015,22121002),the Beijing Natural Science Foundation,China (No.J210020),the Strategic Priority Research Program (A) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No.XDA0390400),and the Project of the Photon Science Center for Carbon Neutrality of CAS.

Abstract: With the excessive use of fossil fuels leading to significant CO2 emissions, and the continuous increase of NOx in water bodies and soils, the use of electrochemical methods for the conversion of CO2 and NOx has garnered widespread attention as a green chemical approach due to its advantages of being environmentally friendly, low-carbon, and straightforward. C—N bonds are widely present in many value-added chemicals, such as urea, amides, and oximes. However, traditional methods for constructing C—N bonds typically involve thermochemical processes. Therefore, using electrochemical methods to catalyze the reduction of CO2 and NOx for C—N bond formation has emerged as a green and sustainable alternative. This paper summarizes the research progress of electrochemical C—N bond construction involving CO2 and NOx from the perspectives of reaction mechanisms and catalytic system construction, reviews the electrochemical synthesis of urea, amines, amides, and oximes through electrochemical C—N bond construction, and finally analyzes the current problems and challenges in the field, providing prospects for its future development.

Key words: CO2 reduction, NOx reduction, C-N coupling, Electro-catalysis