Tandem electrocatalysis for CO2 reduction to multi-carbons

Abstract

The rising CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere due to extensive use of fossil fuels has led to serious climate and environmental issues. One efficient solution is that CO₂ capture from industrial emissions followed its conversion into value-added chemicals driven by renewable energies. CO₂ electroreduction (CO₂RR) features a green and sustainable fashion towards effective CO₂ conversion, but still suffers from low multi-carbon selectivity and yield. Considering the pivotal role of CO intermediate in C–C coupling to multi-carbon formation, tandem CO₂RR systems with separated CO generation and consumption components could facilitate the coupling between *CO-based intermediates to energy-intensive multi-carbons by manipulating CO diffusion and surface coverage. In this aspect, we comprehensively reviewed the design principles of tandem systems for CO₂ electroreduction reaction. The chemistry behind the C–C coupling regarding to their distribution and diffusion was initially introduced, which was followed by achievements on tandem architectures, from catalysts, electrodes to systems. Future directions and perspectives on advanced tandem system designs for CO₂RR were discussed at the end. This review contributes to the understanding of structure-performance correlations in tandem catalysis and helps guide the effective collection of multi-carbons of high-yield and high-selectivity.