Carbon-nitrogen bond formation on Cu electrodes during CO2 reduction in NO3- solution
Raman spectroscopy reveals that co-reduction of NO₃⁻ and CO₂ on Cu forms Cu-C≡N–like species — soluble intermediates that drive significant surface restructuring and yield NO upon oxidation. The species appear to originate from Cu-CO and Cu-NHx intermediates, with implications for electrochemical C-N bond formation toward urea, amines, and amides.