Photocatalytic C–N coupling towards urea synthesis with a palladium-supported CeO2 catalyst
The conversion of N2 and CO2 into urea through a photocatalytic C–N coupling reaction under ambient conditions serves as a novel green avenue for urea synthesis. However, the poor adsorption and C–N coupling capability of inert gas molecules hinder the efficient catalytic activity. Herein, palladium-decorated CeO2 (Pd–CeO2) was demonstrated as an efficient photocatalyst for C–N coupling reaction and delivered a remarkable urea yield rate of 9.2 μmol h−1 g−1, which was superior to that of pristine CeO2 (2.5 μmol h−1 g−1). Comprehensive investigations further endorsed that the emerged space-charge region in the CeO2(111)/Pd(111) interface not only effectively facilitates the targeted capture and activation of inert CO2 and N2 but also stabilizes the formation of key intermediates (*NCON). Besides, the effective inhibition of the endothermic *NNH intermediate is conducive to the subsequent C–N coupling process and the improvement of reaction selectivity. The reaction mechanism was studied in detail by density functional theory (DFT) with the formation of a C–N bond via a thermodynamically spontaneous reaction between *NN* and CO. This work provides novel insights into the conversion of CO2 and N2 into urea.
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