Recent progress on electrochemical reduction of CO2 to methanol

Methanol is a future energy carrier because of its high volume -specific energy density and a significant intermediate for many bulk chemicals. Electrochemical reduction is a promising method to fabricate methanol (CH3OH) from carbon dioxide (CO2) where electrocatalyst, reactor configuration, and elec-trode play an essential role. In this review, seven types of electrocatalysts, that is, metal alloys, metal oxides, metal chalcogenides and carbides, metal-organic complexes, metal-free pyridine and metal-organic framework-based electrocatalysts, as well as the effect of reactor configuration and electrode were comprehensively summarized. Finally, challenges and perspectives on developing electrocatalysts were highlighted.