Understanding urea electro synthesis using layered perovskite NdBa0.25Sr0.75Co2O5+d cathode material

Urea production through an electro-synthetic approach emerges as a sustainable alternative compared to its conventional energy-intensive and polluting technologies. However, the advancement of the aforementioned technique is primarily impeded by existing inefficient electrocatalysts. Therefore, the rational design of the indispensable catalyst along with the unveiling of the reaction pathway through intermediate identification, would enable the utmost deployment of the proposed strategy. Herein, we prepared a non-noble layered perovskite NdBa0.25Sr0.75Co2O5+ & delta; using the citric acid-metal nitrate combustion method and utilized it as an electrocatalyst alongside CO2 and nitrite contaminants used as input sources for urea synthesis. The synthesized electrocatalyst proffered remarkable electrochemical performance for the above-stated urea electrosynthesis reaction with a yield rate of 6.66 limol g-1 h-1 and Faradaic efficiency (F.E) of 9.5%, respectively, at - 1.04 V vs RHE optimized conditions. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis was performed for end-product quantification. The favourable urea formation could be attributable to the unique distribution of prevailing oxygen vacancies in the perovskite cathode material. The insights provided in the article unravel a novel paradigm for the use of layered perovskite materials in urea electrosynthesis. & COPY; 2023 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Urea production through electro-synthesis is a sustainable alternative to conventional technologies with lower energy consumption and pollution. However, inefficient electrocatalysts currently hinder its advancement. This study successfully designed a suitable catalyst and identified the reaction pathway, achieving efficient synthesis of urea.