Strain Effects in Carbon Dioxide Electroreduction

As a frontier method for adjusting the electronic and geometric configurations of metal sites, lattice strain engineering plays a key role in regulating the interaction between catalytic surface and adsorbed molecules. Here, the research progress of strain effects in electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction (CO₂RR) is reviewed. Starting from the basic principles of strain effects in the CO₂RR, the advanced in situ characterization techniques are summarized. The key effect of strain on the structure–activity relationship in CO₂RR is comprehensively discussed. Subsequently, the electrocatalysts with different properties rich in strain are classified, including core–shell structure catalysts, alloys, transition metal compounds, and single-atom catalysts. Finally, the obstacles encountered in the practical application of strain effect are proposed, and the future research direction of this emerging field is prospected.