Advances and Challenges for the Electrochemical Reduction of CO₂ to CO: From Fundamentals to Industrialization

Abstract

The electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) provides an attractive approach to convert renewable electricity into fuels and feedstocks in the form of chemical bonds. Among the different CO2RR pathways, the conversion of CO2 into CO is considered one of the most promising candidate reactions because of its high technological and economic feasibility. Integrating catalyst and electrolyte design with an understanding of the catalytic mechanism will yield scientific insights and promote this technology towards industrial implementation. Herein, we give an overview of recent advances and challenges for the selective conversion of CO2 into CO. Multidimensional catalyst and electrolyte engineering for the CO2RR are also summarized. Furthermore, recent studies on the large‐scale production of CO are highlighted to facilitate industrialization of the electrochemical reduction of CO2. To conclude, the remaining technological challenges and future directions for the industrial application of the CO2RR to generate CO are highlighted.

A Tandem Strategy for Enhancing Electrochemical CO2 Reduction Activity of Single‐Atom Cu‐S1N3 Catalysts via Integration with Cu Nanoclusters

“…This work provides a tandem strategy for facilitating proton-coupled electron transfer over the atomic-level catalytic sites.Electrochemical reduction CO 2 to value-added fuels using renewable electricity is one of appealing CO 2 utilization strategies for management of the global carbon balance. [1] Recent technoeconomic analysis shows that the reduction of CO 2 to CO or formic acid through two-electron transfer processes is the most economical approach for CO 2 conversion, owing to their high added value per KJ of electrical energy input. [2] As a typical product, CO, especially with high purity, is very attractive, because it can be readily used as an important feed-stock for a couple of chemical engineering processes such as Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.…”

Cation‐Deficiency‐Dependent CO2 Electroreduction over Copper‐Based Ruddlesden–Popper Perovskite Oxides

“…[2,3] Nevertheless,m ainly due to the quite-stable linear molecule of CO 2 and the competition with H 2 evolution reaction (HER), the CER suffers from sluggish reaction kinetics and unsatisfactory selectivity,s eriously hampering its widespread application. [4,5] Consequently,i ti so fp rime significance to develop efficient and selective catalysts toward CER. Among various popular catalysts,Cu-based catalysts easily stand out, because of their unique capability to produce appreciable high-order products (e.g., CH 4 ,C 2 H 4 ,a nd C 2 H 5 OH) through stabilizing and then hydrogenating or dimerizing the CO* intermediates.…”

Electronic regulation of Ni single atom by confined Ni nanoparticles for fast and energy-efficient CO2 electroreduction

“…Electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) emerges as a carbon-neutral approach to recycle CO 2 and store intermittent renewable energies. [1][2][3][4] However, the chemical inertness of CO 2 molecule and its multiple reaction pathways with up to 16 possible products cause electrocatalytic conversion processes energy-ine cient. 5,6 To achieve scalability for the technology, the reaction must occur at industrial-level currents at low overpotentials for ideally a single product.…”