Alloy Catalysts for Electrocatalytic CO₂ Reduction

Abstract

CO2 conversion is an anticipated route to resolve the energy crisis and environmental pollution, in which electrocatalysis is one of the technologies closest to industrialization. Alloy catalysts are promising candidates for electrocatalysis, and the high tenability in electronic structures and surface physical and chemical properties allows alloy catalysts high catalytic activity and selectivity for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction. Herein, the recent advances in alloy catalysts for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction have been systematically summarized, with insight into the structure of the active center, catalytic performance, and mechanism, to uncover the key to their high catalytic performance. The alloy catalysts are mainly classified as binary and multi‐metallic alloys (medium entropy and high entropy alloy) based on components and mixed configuration entropy, on which the relationship among the active center, catalytic performance, and mechanism has been fully discussed to inspire the rational design of alloy catalysts. Finally, the current challenges and future perspectives are presented to propose the dilemma and development direction for alloy catalysts. This review provides an overview of about the recent progress and future development of alloy catalysts to present a guideline for future research work on relevant catalysts.

Gas Diffusion Electrodes (GDEs) for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Reduction in Microfluidic Cells: Towards a Fluid Dynamics Assisted Rational Design

“…This characteristic not only mitigates structural corrosion but also can offer a great number of active sites, thereby enhancing the affinity towards CO 2 molecules and reducing reaction barriers. 86 Qiu et al synthesized AlNiCuPtPdAu alloys characterized by uniform nano ligaments, notable catalytic activities, and long-term durability. 87 It was determined through calculations that the active centre effectively reduced the free energy required for the final water formation, potentially contributing to its exceptional performance.…”

Optimization strategies of high-entropy alloys for electrocatalytic applications

“…136 Electrocatalytic HER, HOR, OER, ORR, CO 2 RR, NRR and AOR involve multi-step reactions, and the uniform distribution of multiple active sites on the surface of the catalyst can break the limitation of interdependence, which is beneficial to adjust the binding energy and improve the catalytic activity. 137,138…”

“…In recent years, HEAs have been widely reported in the HER, 14 OER, 15 ORR 16 and CO 2 RR. 17 On the one hand, high-entropy alloying can improve the utilization of precious metals, regulate the coordination environment and local electronic structure of precious metal atoms, and thus adjust the adsorption energy of intermediates. Xia et al prepared FeCoNiRhPt HEA-NPs with an average particle size of 2 nm, which can withstand ultra-high atomic utilization.…”

C60 and Derivatives Boost Electrocatalysis and Photocatalysis: Electron Buffers to Heterojunctions

“…Many research efforts have been dedicated to identifying effective methodologies for reducing CO 2 and producing valuable compounds. [ 166–170 ] However, the CO 2 RR faces challenges in achieving high conversion efficiency due to factors like elevated overpotential, inadequate selectivity, and the presence of competing HER processes in the electrolyte. Additionally, the inert properties of CO 2 contribute to these limitations, leading to extensive research efforts to enhance the sluggish kinetics of CO 2 RR and augment product selectivity.…”