Rational Construction of Cu Active Sites for CO2 Electrolysis to C2+ Product

Abstract

Electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) has emerged as a promising approach in advancing towards carbon neutrality and addressing renewable energy intermittency. Copper-based catalysts have received much attention due to their high catalytic activity to convert CO₂ into high value-added C₂₊ products. However, CO₂RR exhibits a diversity of reduction products and unavoidable hydrogen precipitation side reactions due to the moderate adsorption strength of *CO on the copper surface and the fact that the electrode potential for CO₂ reduction is very close to that for hydrogen precipitation reduction. Here, we summarize recent advances in the structural design and active site construction of copper-based catalysts for CO₂RR, and investigate their effects on the improvement of CO₂RR performance, with the aim of deepening the understanding of catalyst structure and active sites, thereby facilitating the design of more efficient copper-based catalysts for the sustainable production of value-added chemicals.