Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction to alcohols: progress and perspectives

Utilizing renewable electricity for the electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 into alcohols represents a promising avenue for generating value-added fuels and achieving carbon neutrality. Recently, there has been growing scientific interest in achieving high-efficiency conversion of CO2 to alcohols, with significant advancements made in mechanism understanding, reactor design, catalyst development, and more. Herein, a thorough examination of the latest advances in electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) to alcohols is provided. General mechanisms and pathways of electrocatalytic conversion of CO2-to-alcohols are systematically illustrated. Subsequently, electrolyzer configurations, electrolytes, and electrocatalysts employed in CO2RR are summarized. After that, critical operating parameters (e.g., reaction pressure, temperature, and pH) that would significantly influence the CO2RR process are also analyzed. Finally, the review addresses challenges and offers perspectives in this field to guide future studies aimed at advancing CO2-to-alcohols conversion technologies.