Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction to Ethylene: From Mechanistic Understanding to Catalyst Surface Engineering

Junpeng Qu; Xianjun Cao; Li Gao; Jiayi Li; Lu Li; Yuhan Xie; Yufei Zhao; Jinqiang Zhang; Minghong Wu; Hao Liu

doi:10.1007/s40820-023-01146-x

Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction to Ethylene: From Mechanistic Understanding to Catalyst Surface Engineering

Nanomicro Lett. 2023 Jul 11;15(1):178. doi: 10.1007/s40820-023-01146-x.

Authors

Junpeng Qu^#¹, Xianjun Cao^#¹, Li Gao¹, Jiayi Li¹, Lu Li¹, Yuhan Xie², Yufei Zhao³, Jinqiang Zhang^{4

5}, Minghong Wu⁶, Hao Liu⁷

Affiliations

¹ Joint International Laboratory on Environmental and Energy Frontier Materials, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, People's Republic of China.
² Centre for Clean Energy Technology, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia.
³ Joint International Laboratory on Environmental and Energy Frontier Materials, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, People's Republic of China. yufei-zhao@shu.edu.cn.
⁴ Centre for Clean Energy Technology, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia. jinqiang.zhang@utoronto.ca.
⁵ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, 35 St George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A4, Canada. jinqiang.zhang@utoronto.ca.
⁶ Joint International Laboratory on Environmental and Energy Frontier Materials, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, People's Republic of China. mhwu@shu.edu.cn.
⁷ Centre for Clean Energy Technology, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia. hao.liu@uts.edu.au.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR) provides a promising way to convert CO₂ to chemicals. The multicarbon (C₂₊) products, especially ethylene, are of great interest due to their versatile industrial applications. However, selectively reducing CO₂ to ethylene is still challenging as the additional energy required for the C-C coupling step results in large overpotential and many competing products. Nonetheless, mechanistic understanding of the key steps and preferred reaction pathways/conditions, as well as rational design of novel catalysts for ethylene production have been regarded as promising approaches to achieving the highly efficient and selective CO₂RR. In this review, we first illustrate the key steps for CO₂RR to ethylene (e.g., CO₂ adsorption/activation, formation of *CO intermediate, C-C coupling step), offering mechanistic understanding of CO₂RR conversion to ethylene. Then the alternative reaction pathways and conditions for the formation of ethylene and competitive products (C₁ and other C₂₊ products) are investigated, guiding the further design and development of preferred conditions for ethylene generation. Engineering strategies of Cu-based catalysts for CO₂RR-ethylene are further summarized, and the correlations of reaction mechanism/pathways, engineering strategies and selectivity are elaborated. Finally, major challenges and perspectives in the research area of CO₂RR are proposed for future development and practical applications.

Keywords: Key steps in CO2RR-ethylene; Mechanism understanding; Preferable reaction pathways; Surface engineering strategies of Cu-based catalysts.

Publication types

Review