Efficient strategies for promoting the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to C2+ products over Cu-based catalysts

Two-dimensional Cu-based materials for electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction

“…It is widely accepted that CO 2 first adsorbed as ∗CO 2 on Cu-based catalysts ( Figure 7 A) and subsequently forms ∗COOH intermediates in the presence of electrons and H + protons, followed by the conversion to ∗CO by shedding H 2 O. 87 As shown in Figure 7 B, the coupling interactions between the ∗CO are essential for C 2 H 4 , C 2 H 5 OH, CH 3 COOH, C 3 H 7 OH, and other C 2+ product generation. In addition, ∗CHO generated by the protonation of ∗CO can also participate in the C-C coupling process directly with ∗CO.…”

“…Therefore, further modulation of the intermediates obtained by C-C coupling is the key to achieving high product selectivity. 87 , 88

Figure 7 Possible reaction pathways for CO 2 to C 2+ products over Cu-based catalysts (A) CO 2 is reduced to form adsorbed ∗CO via the ∗COOH intermediate. (B) The conversion of ∗CO intermediates determines the final distribution of C 2+ products.

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“…Various types of 2D Cu-based catalysts have been developed to achieve efficient CO 2 RR. 19 , 87 , 88 …”

Size effects of supported Cu-based catalysts for the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction

“…29 Several strategies have been developed to optimize it, for example, modifying the Cu-based catalyst by optimizing its surface structure. 30 Experimental results show that the modified Cu-based catalyst can improve the performance of the CO 2 RR. Some hydrophobic molecules (polyolefin and its derivatives, nitrogen-containing polymers, and alkyl mercaptan) were used to modify Cu catalysts to enhance hydrophobicity, inhibit water transport, promote CO 2 adsorption, and improve the performance of C 2+ products.…”

Restructuring multi-phase interfaces from Cu-based metal–organic frameworks for selective electroreduction of CO2 to C2H4

“…3–5 So far, Cu is the only metal that can selectively convert CO 2 to C 2+ thanks to the benign bonding of *CO intermediates, 6,7 and its interfaces with tailored valence states, grain boundaries and unsaturated sites are evidenced to surmount the energy barriers of such multiple electron transfer steps. 8–10 Although progress has been made in C 2+ production, it's still challenging to facilely construct active interfaces and effectively stabilize them during electrolysis. 11…”