Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction to Alcohols: Progress and Perspectives
Ying Long,
Zhijie Chen,
Lan Wu,
Xiaoqing Liu,
Ya‐Nan Hou,
Sergio Vernuccio,
Wei Wei,
Wai‐Yeung Wong,
Bing‐Jie Ni
Affiliations
Ying Long
Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater School of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Technology Sydney Sydney NSW 2007 Australia
Zhijie Chen
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
Lan Wu
Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater School of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Technology Sydney Sydney NSW 2007 Australia
Xiaoqing Liu
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Kowloon Hong Kong P. R. China
Ya‐Nan Hou
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
Sergio Vernuccio
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University of Sheffield Sheffield S10 2TN UK
Wei Wei
Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater School of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Technology Sydney Sydney NSW 2007 Australia
Wai‐Yeung Wong
Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology and Research Institute for Smart Energy The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom, Kowloon Hong Kong P. R. China
Bing‐Jie Ni
Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater School of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Technology Sydney Sydney NSW 2007 Australia
Utilizing renewable electricity for the electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 into alcohols represents a promising avenue for generating value‐added fuels and achieving carbon neutrality. Recently, there has been growing scientific interest in achieving high‐efficiency conversion of CO2 to alcohols, with significant advancements made in mechanism understanding, reactor design, catalyst development, and more. Herein, a thorough examination of the latest advances in electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) to alcohols is provided. General mechanisms and pathways of electrocatalytic conversion of CO2‐to‐alcohols are systematically illustrated. Subsequently, electrolyzer configurations, electrolytes, and electrocatalysts employed in CO2RR are summarized. After that, critical operating parameters (e.g., reaction pressure, temperature, and pH) that would significantly influence the CO2RR process are also analyzed. Finally, the review addresses challenges and offers perspectives in this field to guide future studies aimed at advancing CO2‐to‐alcohols conversion technologies.
