Rational catalyst design and interface engineering for electrochemical CO2 reduction to high-valued alcohols

Electrochemical CO2 reduction (eCO2RR) is an emerging strategy to address the global carbon balance issues and fulfill the carbon-neutral goal through converting CO2 to value-added chemicals/fuels driven by renewable energy sources. The production of highly reduced carbon compounds beyond CO and formate, especially oxygenate alcohol products with high energy densities and large global market capacities, is particularly desirable for practical applications. However, the building of alcohol-selective eCO2RR electrocatalysis systems to overcome the high overpotential and poor durability remains a big challenge. Recently, diverse strategies have been developed for rational catalyst design towards alcohol productions from eCO2RR on the basis of the corresponding reaction mechanisms. In this review article, we firstly highlight recent advances in fundamental understanding of mechanisms in three electrochemical CO2-alcohol reaction pathways. Then, the design strategies focused on catalyst and interface design are summarized for building alcohol-selective eCO2RR electrocatalysis systems. The advanced characterization techniques are also discussed to provide more insights into eCO2RR-to-alcohols processes. Finally, the remaining challenges and perspectives for promoting eCO2RR to alcohols are proposed.