Electrocatalysis for CO₂ conversion: from fundamentals to value-added products.

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Environmental Science
• Materials Science

Background:

• Rising atmospheric CO2 levels threaten global climate and carbon balance.
• Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) offers a promising route for CO2 utilization.
• Renewable energy integration enhances the sustainability of CO2RR.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of recent research on selective electrocatalytic CO2 conversion into value-added products.
• To discuss the fundamental science, electrocatalyst design, and influencing factors of CO2RR.
• To highlight emerging trends, structure-performance relationships, and mechanisms in CO2 electrocatalysis.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent scientific literature on electrocatalytic CO2 reduction.
• Analysis of catalyst design, preparation, and performance evaluation methodologies.
• Discussion of theoretical calculations and operando studies for mechanistic insights.

Main Results:

• Selective electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 yields various value-added products.
• Structure-performance relationships and reaction mechanisms are crucial for optimizing CO2RR.
• Advancements in electrocatalyst development and electrolyzer design are key.

Conclusions:

• CO2 electrocatalysis presents significant opportunities for carbon cycle re-balancing and sustainable chemical production.
• Challenges remain in developing efficient electrocatalysts, scalable electrolyzers, and understanding fundamental mechanisms.
• Industrial application feasibility requires further research in operando studies and process optimization.