A project led by Professor Zhanxi FAN, titled “Electrosynthesis of high-value organonitrogen compounds via C-N coupling: from catalyst design to cell engineering”, was awarded funding of HK$ 4.8 million from the Research Grants Council (RGC) under the Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) 2025/26.

Electrosynthesis using renewable electricity offers a transformative pathway to produce high-value organonitrogen compounds from abundant small molecules like CO2 and NO3-, fundamentally changing how we approach chemical manufacturing. Traditional production of these essential chemicals, such as urea (>180 million tons annually) and cyclohexanone oxime (key intermediate for nylon-6), relies on energy-intensive thermochemical routes involving fossil fuel-derived feedstocks under harsh conditions. .

In stark contrast, electrochemical approaches enable ambient-condition operations with precise potential control, eliminate the need for high-pressure equipment, reduce safety hazards, and offer modular scalability for distributed manufacturing. These processes can achieve near-zero carbon emissions when powered by renewable energy sources. However, current electrochemical coupling reactions face significant challenges including insufficient activity, poor selectivity, low Faradaic efficiency, and catalyst instability, primarily due to complex multi-electron reaction mechanisms and inadequate understanding of structure-performance relationships. .

To address these critical limitations, this proposal presents a comprehensive strategy by integrating catalyst design, mechanism study and cell engineering, aiming to provide crucial technological foundations for sustainable chemical manufacturing..

Details:
https://www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/rgc/funding_opport/crf/funded%20research/crf25_lay_sum.html#C1068-25Y