Three-Site Catalysis of In₁–MoB₂ to Boost Urea Electrosynthesis

Abstract

We develop single-atom In on MoB 2 (In 1 –MoB 2 ) as an efficient catalyst for urea synthesis from coelectrolysis of NO 3 – and CO 2 . Mechanistic studies reveal a three-site synergistic catalysis mechanism of In 1 –MoB 2, where In 1 /B sites enable the formation of *CO/*NH 2 intermediates and their C–N coupling, while the Mo site facilitates H 2 O dissociation to provide the ample protons required for the protonation of C/N intermediates toward urea generation. Moreover, by employing a plasma-electrocatalytic route with integrating plasma-driven air oxidation and electrocatalysis, In 1 –MoB 2 exhibits the exceptional Faradaic efficiency of 80.4% and urea yield rate of 116.5 mmol h –1 g –1, ranking in the top performance level.