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Electrolysis systems constructed by anodic urea oxidation reaction (UOR) and cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) have received considerable attention in sustainable energy and waste utilization. However, current electrolysis systems are far from the requirement of practical applications due to the limited catalytic activity and stability of the electrodes. Herein, we design a UOR electrode with Co-doped NiMoO4 treated in Ar (NCMO–Ar), which shows superior UOR performance because of the Co doping. On the other hand, the Co-doped NiMoO4 treated in H2 (NCMO–H2) delivers high activity for HER. Moreover, the use of a flow electrolysis cell is demonstrated with continuous injection of urea, which only requires a low operation potential of 1.342 V to reach 10 mA cm−2, and shows no attenuation at a large operation current of 100 mA cm−2 for 200 h. It is believed that this high-performance electrolysis system lays an important foundation in developing a practical electrolyzer for efficient and sustainable hydrogen production coupled with waste organic oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuously increasing CO2 released from human activities poses a great threat to human survival by fluctuating global climate and disturbing carbon balance among the four reservoirs of the biosphere, earth, air, and water. Converting CO2 to value-added feedstocks via electrocatalysis of the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) has been regarded as one of the most attractive routes to re-balance the carbon cycle, thanks to its multiple advantages of mild operating conditions, easy handling, tunable products and the potential of synergy with the rapidly increasing renewable energy (i.e., solar, wind). Instead of focusing on a special topic of electrocatalysts for the CO2RR that have been extensively reviewed elsewhere, we herein present a rather comprehensive review of the recent research progress, in the view of associated value-added products upon selective electrocatalytic CO2 conversion. We initially provide an overview of the history and the fundamental science regarding the electrocatalytic CO2RR, with a special introduction to the design, preparation, and performance evaluation of electrocatalysts, the factors influencing the CO2RR, and the associated theoretical calculations. Emphasis will then be given to the emerging trends of selective electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 into a variety of value-added products. The structure-performance relationship and mechanism will also be discussed and investigated. The outlooks for CO2 electrocatalysis, including the challenges and opportunities in the development of new electrocatalysts, electrolyzers, the recently rising operando fundamental studies, and the feasibility of industrial applications are finally summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycerol, as the major by‐product of biodiesel, can be oxidized into diverse value‐added chemical products via either traditional chemical methods or electrochemical routes. Electrocatalytic glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR) driven by renewable‐derived electricity (e.g., wind and solar) is a promising pathway for fine chemicals production. In an electrochemical cell, GOR can be coupled with various cathodic reactions, including hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR); in this manner, different benefits of either energy effectiveness or additional value‐added products can be obtained depending on the cathode reduction reaction selected. Comprehensively understanding of electrocatalytic GOR and the associated processes is of great significance to promote its industrial application. Herein, recent progress of GOR is focused on. The background of biomass‐derived glycerol valorization to energy and value‐added chemicals as well as the electrochemical conversion techniques via GOR is introduced. Then, the electrocatalytic reaction pathways, the potential application of GOR, and the measurement method for products are also discussed and summarized. Special emphasis is put on the design and the development of high‐selectivity and high‐activity electrocatalysts for GOR. Finally, the challenges and the future prospects in the fields of GOR are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two‐dimensional (2D) monometallic pnictogens (antimony or Sb, and bismuth or Bi) nanosheets demonstrate potential in a variety of fields, including quantum devices, catalysis, biomedicine and energy, because of their unique physical, chemical, electronic and optical properties. However, the development of general and high‐efficiency preparative routes toward high‐quality pnictogen nanosheets is challenging. A general method involving a molten‐salt‐assisted aluminothermic reduction process is reported for the synthesis of Sb and Bi nanosheets in high yields (>90 %). Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction was investigated on the Bi nanosheets, and high catalytic selectively to formate was demonstrated with a considerable current density at a low overpotential and an impressive stability. Bi nanosheets continuously convert CO2 into formate in a flow cell operating for one month, with a yield rate of 787.5 mmol cm−2 h−1. Theoretical results suggest that the edge sites of Bi are far more active than the terrace sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conversing CO2 into value‐added chemicals endows electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) with the potential to tackle over issues induced by the increased CO2 level in the atmosphere. The associated technological viability of this process is highly dependent on exploring efficient electrocatalysts. In this work, we successfully synthesized nitrogen and sulfur co‐doped carbon nanosheets (NS‐CNSs), which are comprehensively characterized by a variety of characterization techniques. When used as the catalyst for CO2RR, the NS‐CNSs exhibit remarkably high catalytic activity and selectivity with a Faradaic efficiency of ∼85.4 % for CO production and long‐term durability. The superior performance of this material majorly originates from the unique nanosheets structure with large porosity and the co‐doped S and N in the nanosheets, which exposed larger electrochemical activity surface areas and more active sites for promoting CO2 reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conversing CO2 into value‐added chemicals endows electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) with the potential to tackle over issues induced by the increased CO2 level in the atmosphere. The associated technological viability of this process is highly dependent on exploring efficient electrocatalysts. In this work, we successfully synthesized nitrogen and sulfur co‐doped carbon nanosheets (NS‐CNSs), which are comprehensively characterized by a variety of characterization techniques. When used as the catalyst for CO2RR, the NS‐CNSs exhibit remarkably high catalytic activity and selectivity with a Faradaic efficiency of ∼85.4 % for CO production and long‐term durability. The superior performance of this material majorly originates from the unique nanosheets structure with large porosity and the co‐doped S and N in the nanosheets, which exposed larger electrochemical activity surface areas and more active sites for promoting CO2 reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]