Progress in the application of Cu-based catalysts in the electroreduction of CO₂ to produce C_xs products

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Lanzhou University of Technology, Qilihe District, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
² Department of Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Qilihe District, Lanzhou, Gansu, China

^* Corresponding author: 1063456257@qq.com

Abstract

Since the industrial revolution, human dependence on fossil fuels has resulted in increasingly severe atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Electrocatalytic CO₂ RR has attracted much attention because of its many advantages, such as mild reaction conditions, controllable reaction rate, low cost and scalable electrolyzer.^[7] More importantly, electrocatalytic CO₂ RR can control the selective generation of target products by rationally adjusting the reaction potential, electrolyte and catalyst species. However, the CO₂ molecular structure is stable, and obtaining the key CO₂ -based anionic intermediate CO₂^– from activated CO₂ molecules requires overcoming a huge energy barrier. Copper (Cu) catalysts are the only monometallic catalysts to date that can form two-carbon (C₂) products, which establishes their special position in the field. However, the poor selectivity of Cu for a particular product has led to a wide distribution of reduction products, covering the range from carbon monoxide (CO), a reduction product at 2e^-, to ethanol (C H₂₅ OH), a reduction product at 12e^-. Meanwhile, Cu catalysts are generally less stable, which can seriously affect their commercialization. Currently, in order to obtain highly selective C₂₊ products (mainly ethylene and ethanol), ^[16]this article reviews the various methods developed by different scholars in China and abroad to modify Cu catalysts. Finally, this article suggests ways to improve the performance of Cu-based catalysts to enhance the Faraday efficiency of the C₂ product from the electroreduction of C0₂ and gives an outlook on the future direction of Cu-based catalysts.^[19]