Advances in electrochemical synthesis of urea from CO2 and nitrogen-containing precursors

Abstract

This review critically examines recent advances in electrocatalytic urea synthesis from CO₂ and nitrogenous precursors (N₂, NO₃⁻, and NO₂⁻). It elucidates C–N coupling mechanisms, evaluates key performance metrics, and systematically presents catalyst design strategies (designing compositions/constructing heterostructures/elemental doping/defect engineering/constructing atomic-level catalysts). Persistent challenges and future directions are also discussed.