Electrocatalytic CO₂ Reduction to Alcohols: Progress and Perspectives

Utilizing renewable electricity for the electrocatalytic conversion of CO₂ into alcohols represents a promising avenue for generating value-added fuels and achieving carbon neutrality. Recently, there has been growing scientific interest in achieving high-efficiency conversion of CO₂ to alcohols, with significant advancements made in mechanism understanding, reactor design, catalyst development, and more. Herein, a thorough examination of the latest advances in electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) to alcohols is provided. General mechanisms and pathways of electrocatalytic conversion of CO₂-to-alcohols are systematically illustrated. Subsequently, electrolyzer configurations, electrolytes, and electrocatalysts employed in CO₂RR are summarized. After that, critical operating parameters (e.g., reaction pressure, temperature, and pH) that would significantly influence the CO₂RR process are also analyzed. Finally, the review addresses challenges and offers perspectives in this field to guide future studies aimed at advancing CO₂-to-alcohols conversion technologies.