A Review on Photocatalytic and Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO2 into C2+ Products: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

Abstract

The collection of CO₂ and its subsequent transformation into valuable compounds have drawn increased global attention in recent decades. It is commonly recognized that the final product of every combustion process, whether biological or chemical, is CO₂, a fully oxidized, thermodynamically stable, and chemically inert molecule. Owing to the chemical inertness of CO₂, it adsorbs and reacts slowly on catalyst surfaces and has a poor capacity to form chains. It also makes it simpler to produce C₁ compounds and more challenging to produce products that are higher than C₂. Many scientific research teams have focused on CO₂ hydrogenation to prepare C₁ chemical feedstocks (such as CH₄, CH₃OH, CO, HCOOH, etc.), and significant progress has been made. However, from the point of view of economic value, the synthesis of higher-order multicarbon products (C₂₊) is preferable to that of C₁ products due to their higher energy density and broader applicability. Considering the rapid development of catalytic reduction of CO₂ into C₂₊ products, it is necessary to have a comprehensive understanding and timely, appropriate summary of these technologies. Therefore, this review aims to present a comprehensive and critical review of the research status and development trend of catalytic reduction of CO₂ into C₂₊ products.