Design strategies for enhancing the synthesis of C3+ products from electrochemical CO2 reduction

Abstract

The electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (eCO₂RR) offers significant potential for closing the anthropogenic carbon cycle while simultaneously enabling the storage of intermittent sustainable energy. The synthesis of C₃₊ products from eCO₂RR is particularly appealing due to their higher commercial value compared to C₁ or C₂ compounds, and their crucial roles as high-energy-density fuels or feedstocks for a wide range of industrial applications. This encourages us to summarize recent notable progress in enhancing C₃₊ production. This review starts from the formation pathways of C₃₊ products by delving into key intermediates and *C–*C coupling reactions for mechanistic investigations. Subsequently, we discuss the representative eCO₂RR electrocatalysts for C₃₊ synthesis, including Cu and non-Cu catalysts, highlighting typical design strategies for markedly promoting the catalytic performance or expanding the range of products. Additionally, we also emphasize system upgrading strategies, covering manipulation of electrolysis conditions, microenvironment regulation, and cascade catalysis, for facilitating C₃₊ production. We finally end with future directions in this rapidly advancing field. By elucidating the formation mechanisms, catalyst design principles, and system upgrading strategies, this review is expected to draw significant attention to C₃₊ products and stimulate further research into developing advanced catalytic systems for their efficient synthesis.