Cobalt Catalysts Enable Selective Hydrogenation of CO₂ toward Diverse Products: Recent Progress and Perspective

Selective hydrogenation of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into value-added chemicals has aroused great interest. The chemical inertness of CO₂ and diverse reaction pathways usually require the construction of enabled catalysts. To date, cobalt (Co) catalysts characteristic of metallic and/or divalent Co components show great potential for CO₂ hydrogenation. To better regulate the CO₂ hydrogenation, it is necessary to summarize the current progress of cobalt catalysts for selective hydrogenation of CO₂. In this Perspective, first, hydrogenation of CO₂ into methane over metallic Co sites is introduced. Second, hydrogenation of CO₂ into methanol and C₂₊ alcohols is discussed by constructing mixed-valent cobalt sites. Third, hydrogenation of CO₂ into light olefins and C₅₊ liquid fuels over cobalt-containing hybrid catalysts is introduced. Fourth, the reaction paths for selective hydrogenation of CO₂ over cobalt catalysts are illustrated. Finally, the current challenges and prospects of cobalt-based nanocatalysts for hydrogenation of CO₂ are proposed.