Catalyst design strategies for highly efficient CO2 electroreduction

초록

The massive emission of CO2 has caused significant environmental problems, including global warming, disruption of carbon balance, and threats to human health. Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) that operates under mild conditions to produce small-molecule fuels and value-added chemical products, is viewed as one of the most promising strategies for mitigating atmospheric CO2 concentrations and restoring the carbon cycle equilibrium. Recent achievements in the development of high-performance electrocatalysts have promoted the practical application of CO2RR. In this review, the mechanism pathways for forming C1, C2, and C2+ products, as well as the crucial parameters for evaluating CO2RR performance are introduced first. Then, the factors affecting CO2RR performance, such as electrolyzer devices and electrolytes, are also briefly discussed. Most importantly, various strategies that were developed for boosting the performance of electrocatalysts are summarized from the perspective of different products. Furthermore, the effects of these strategies on the active site and the reaction environment are discussed in detail. Finally, the future challenges and perspectives, including design of high-efficient, highly selective and robust CO2RR electrocatalysts, deeper understanding of structure-performance relationship, insights into the CO2RR mechanism, and integrating or coupling CO2RR with other reactions (e.g. N2 or NO3− or SO32‐ electroreduction, biomass electrooxidation, etc.) or biological fermentation to produce high-value heteroatom-containing or long-chain organic compounds or improve the overall energy and economy efficiency of CO2 electrolysis. This review offers valuable insights into methods for developing proper electrocatalysts to steer the reaction pathways toward CO2RR, and suggests future directions and perspectives on CO2RR field. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.

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