Recent Progresses in Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction on Copper-Based Catalysts towards Multicarbon Products

Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR) offers a promising way of effectively converting CO₂ to value-added chemicals and fuels by utilizing renewable electricity. To date, the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to single-carbon products, especially carbon monoxide and formate, has been well achieved. However, the efficient conversion of CO₂ to more valuable multicarbon products (e.g., ethylene, ethanol, n-propanol, and n-butanol) is difficult and still under intense investigation. Here, recent progresses in the electrochemical CO₂ reduction to multicarbon products using copper-based catalysts are reviewed. First, the mechanism of CO₂RR is briefly described. Then, representative approaches of catalyst engineering are introduced toward the formation of multicarbon products in CO₂RR, such as composition, morphology, crystal phase, facet, defect, strain, and surface and interface. Subsequently, key aspects of cell engineering for CO₂RR, including electrode, electrolyte, and cell design, are also discussed. Finally, recent advances are summarized and some personal perspectives in this research direction are provided.