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The origins of catalytic selectivity for the electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide to methanol

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Abstract

The electrocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into useful fuels and chemical feedstocks is an emerging route to alleviate global warming and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Methanol (CH3OH), as one of the most significant and widely used liquid fuels that can be generated by CO2 reduction, is essential in the chemical industry. In this minireview, we unravel the origins of the selective formation of CH3OH via CO2 reduction, including catalyst composition designs, local structure modulations, and electrolyte/catalyst interface regulations. Finally, the remaining challenges and perspectives for the CO2-to-CH3OH reduction are proposed.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 22178104, U22B20143, 21838003, and 22008069), Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project, the Shanghai Scientific and Technological Innovation Project (No. 22dz1205900), “the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities”, Shanghai Rising-Star Program (No. 23QA1402200), and the Shanghai Sailing Program (No. 20YF1410200).

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  1. Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Hierarchical Nanomaterials, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science & Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China

    Tian Wang, Yating Wang, Yuhang Li & Chunzhong Li

  2. School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science & Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China

    Chunzhong Li

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  1. Tian Wang
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Wang, T., Wang, Y., Li, Y. et al. The origins of catalytic selectivity for the electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide to methanol. Nano Res. 17, 5–17 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-5653-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-5653-7

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