Scalable Electrosynthesis of Formamide through C−N Coupling at the Industrially Relevant Current Density of 120 mA cm−2

• DOI: 10.1002/ange.202213009
• Publication Date: 2022-09-15T10:50:51Z
• Authors: Jiang Shao; Nannan Meng; Yuting Wang; Baoshun Zhang; Kaiwen Yang; Cuibo Liu; Yifu Yu; Bin Zhang
• Keywords: Electrosynthesis; Overpotential

Abstract The scalable and durable electrosynthesis of high‐valued organonitrogen compounds from carbon‐ nitrogen‐containing small molecules, especially operating at a high current density, is highly desirable. Here, one‐pot electrooxidation method to synthesize formamide (HCONH 2 ) methanol ammonia over commercial boron‐doped diamond (BDD) catalyst reported. selectivity Faradaic efficiency (FE achieve 73.2 % 41.2 the density 120 mA cm −2 with durability. C−N bond originates nucleophilic attack on an aldehyde‐like intermediate. Impressively, 8 L electrolyzer employed for pilot plant test 2200 BDD electrode, which exhibits 33.5 FE (current: 264 A) yield rate 36.9 g h −1 , demonstrating potential this technique large‐scale formamide.