Carbon neutrality is one of the central topics of not
only the
scientific community but also the majority of human society. The development
of highly efficient carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and utilization
(CCU) techniques is expected to stimulate routes and concepts to go
beyond fossil fuels and provide more economic benefits for a carbon-neutral
economy. While various single-carbon (C1) and multi-carbon
(C2+) products have been selectively produced to date,
the scope of CCU can be further expanded to more valuable chemicals
beyond simple carbon species by integration of nitrogenous reactants
into CO2 reduction. In this Review, research progress toward
sustainable production of high-value-added chemicals (urea, methylamine,
ethylamine, formamide, acetamide, and glycine) from catalytic
coupling of CO2 and nitrogenous small molecules (NH3, N2, NO3
–, and NO2
–) is highlighted. C–N bond formation
is a key mechanistic step in N-integrated CO2 reduction,
so we focus on the possible pathways of C–N coupling starting
from the CO2 reduction and nitrogenous small molecules
reduction processes as well as the catalytic attributes that enable
the C–N coupling. We also propose research directions and prospects
in the field, aiming to inspire future investigations and achieve
comprehensive improvement of the performance and product scope of
C–N coupling systems.