Recent advances of CO2 electroreduction towards ethanol over Cu-based catalysts

Abstract

Electrochemical reduction of CO₂ (ERCO₂) represents a promising strategy for atmospheric CO₂ mitigation by converting this greenhouse gas into value-added chemical feed stocks. Among various catalytic materials, copper-based electrocatalysts have emerged as frontier candidates due to their distinctive capability in promoting C-C coupling reactions, which selectively steer the reaction pathway toward multi-carbon products. Notably, these catalysts exhibit superior performance in producing industrially important C₂ compounds such as ethylene and ethanol through precise modulation of reaction intermediates, thereby demonstrating significant potential for establishing a circular carbon economy. This paper provides a review of the reaction mechanism involved in the electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to ethanol. It also discusses the research progress made in the development of Cu-based catalysts for this reaction, including Cu monomers, Cu-based bimetallic catalysts, CuO-based catalysts and non-metallic modified Cu-based catalysts. Additionally, the paper introduces various strategies that have been employed to enhance the selectivity of ethanol products, such as the confinement strategy、local environment modulation and electronic structure modulation. Finally, the paper discusses the challenges and future development directions of Cu-based catalysts in the electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to ethanol.