Multiscale CO₂ Electrocatalysis to C₂₊ Products: Reaction Mechanisms, Catalyst Design, and Device Fabrication

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry and catalysis
• Carbon capture and utilization
• Sustainable chemical synthesis

Background:

• Electrosynthesis of carbon dioxide (CO2) into value-added chemicals presents a promising electrical route for carbon utilization, aiming for carbon neutrality.
• Current progress in electrogenerating multicarbon products from CO2 lags significantly behind C1 products due to complex reaction pathways and slow kinetics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and summarize the state-of-the-art progress in multicarbon synthesis via CO2 electroreduction from a multiscale perspective.
• To identify and discuss current hurdles and provide guidelines for future research in CO2-derived multicarbon generation.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review focusing on multiscale aspects of CO2 electroreduction.
• Analysis of atomistic mechanisms, nanoscale electrocatalysts, microscale electrodes, and macroscale electrolyzers.
• Cross-scale perspective linking different approaches to performance and stability.

Main Results:

• Significant challenges exist in scaling up CO2 electroreduction for multicarbon products, including reaction complexity and slow kinetics.
• Progress is reviewed across atomistic, nanoscale, microscale, and macroscale domains, highlighting specific advancements and limitations.
• Discrepancies between different scales impact overall performance and stability, particularly for industrial applications.

Conclusions:

• Overcoming hurdles in multicarbon generation from CO2 requires a holistic, cross-scale approach.
• Future research should focus on addressing mechanistic understanding, catalyst design, electrode engineering, and electrolyzer optimization for industrial viability.
• Bridging the gap between lab-scale findings and industrial implementation is crucial for realizing the potential of CO2 electrosynthesis.