A review of catalysts for the electroreduction of carbon dioxide to produce low-carbon fuels

Abstract

This paper reviews recent progress made in identifying electrocatalysts for carbon dioxide (CO₂) reduction to produce low-carbon fuels, including CO, HCOOH/HCOO⁻, CH₂O, CH₄, H₂C₂O₄/HC₂O₄⁻, C₂H₄, CH₃OH, CH₃CH₂OH and others. The electrocatalysts are classified into several categories, including metals, metal alloys, metal oxides, metal complexes, polymers/clusters, enzymes and organic molecules. The catalyts' activity, product selectivity, Faradaic efficiency, catalytic stability and reduction mechanisms during CO₂ electroreduction have received detailed treatment. In particular, we review the effects of electrode potential, solution–electrolyte type and composition, temperature, pressure, and other conditions on these catalyst properties. The challenges in achieving highly active and stable CO₂ reduction electrocatalysts are analyzed, and several research directions for practical applications are proposed, with the aim of mitigating performance degradation, overcoming additional challenges, and facilitating research and development in this area.