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尿素作为重要氮肥，广泛应用于农业和化工，但传统工业合成能耗高、碳排放量大，对环境压力显著。为实现低能耗、环保的尿素合成，电催化碳氮偶联反应成为研究热点。然而，该过程面临反应物吸附缓慢、竞争副反应显著、多步路径复杂等挑战，导致尿素产率和选择性受限。高效催化剂的开发是突破关键：催化剂的结构和成分直接影响反应物的吸附、活化及转化效率，同时决定反应体系的稳定性和能耗。本文从碳氮偶联机理出发，概述基于不同碳源和氮源的反应机制，重点探讨杂原子掺杂、空位工程、晶面调控、原子尺度调控、合金化及异质结构构建等催化剂优化策略，并总结最新研究进展，为提升电催化性能提供技术参考。此外，本文分析了电催化剂工业化应用的挑战，包括催化剂稳定性、反应条件优化及成本控制，提出未来研究方向，以支持清洁尿素生产，助力碳中和与人工氮循环目标的实现。
Abstract：Urea, as an important nitrogen fertilizer, is widely used in agriculture and chemical industry. However, traditional industrial synthesis processes have high energy consumption and large carbon emissions, imposing significant environmental pressure. To achieve low-energy and environmentally friendly urea synthesis, electrocatalytic carbon-nitrogen(C-N) coupling reactions have become a research hotspot. However, this process faces challenges such as slow reactant adsorption, significant competing side reactions, and complex multi-step pathways, resulting in limited urea yield and selectivity. The development of efficient catalysts is the key breakthrough: the structure and composition of catalysts directly affect the adsorption, activation, and conversion efficiency of reactants, while also determining the stability and energy consumption of the reaction system. Starting from the C-N coupling mechanism, this paper reviews the reaction mechanisms based on different carbon and nitrogen sources, focuses on catalyst optimization strategies including heteroatom doping, defect engineering, facet control, atomic-scale design, alloying, and heterostructure construction, and summarizes the latest research progress to provide technical reference for improving electrocatalytic performance. In addition, this paper analyzes the challenges of industrial application of electrocatalysts, including catalyst stability, reaction condition optimization, and cost control, and proposes future research directions to support clean urea production and contribute to achieving carbon neutrality and artificial nitrogen cycle goals.
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基本信息:
DOI：10.12194/j.ntu.20241206001
中图分类号:TQ441.41;TQ426
引用信息:
[1]马春阳,周海燕,宦云飞,等.尿素合成的电催化碳氮偶联机理及催化剂设计策略[J].南通大学学报(自然科学版),2025,24(04):36-47.DOI:10.12194/j.ntu.20241206001.
基金信息:
国家自然科学基金青年科学基金项目(52401284); 江苏省自然科学基金项目(BK20240957)