Carbon-Nitrogen Co-reduction for Urea Electrosynthesis: Bridging Fundamental Research and Industrial Applications

Abstract

Conventional urea production has long been plagued by high energy consumption and substantial carbon emissions. Although electrocatalytic carbon-nitrogen co-reduction offers a transformative pathway toward sustainable urea synthesis, a persistent gap between fundamental research and industrial implementation remains a critical bottleneck. This review provides a comprehensive and integrated overview of the field, spanning catalyst design, performance optimization, reactor development, and practical deployment. We hope that this systematic analysis will not only guide the rational design of next-generation high-performance catalysts but also accelerate the translation of urea electrosynthesis from laboratory research to industrial application.