Advances in Designing 3D-Printed Systems for CO2 Reduction

The increasing level of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), and the resultant global warming is a matter of growing concern among scientists, environmentalists, and climate experts across the globe over the past several decades. Numerous attempts are being undertaken today that seek solutions to mitigate this global crisis. This includes designing functional catalysts, devices and reactors to convert greenhouse gasses such as CO2 into useful products like low-carbon fuels and chemicals, thereby reducing the amount of CO2 considerably in the atmosphere. Advancements in emerging technologies like 3D-printing can effectively aid in the fabrication of electrodes and devices to tackle the rising CO2 concerns. Low cost, rapid prototyping ability, and printing simple and complex structure are few of the significant merits of this technology. Thus, in this perspective article, discussions on fabricating 3D-printed (electro)catalysts, customized devices, reactors, etc., via multiple strategies are put forward with emphasis on the electrochemical reduction of CO2. Also, a detailed discussion on the post-printing treatments, catalyst modifications, and other CO2 mitigation strategies is provided as well. Although studies in this direction are scarcely reported, observations made hitherto show promising possibilities of broadening this field for large scale CO2 reduction reaction applications, and similar catalytic applications in the near future.

Automated summary

The increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and global warming have raised concerns among scientists, environmentalists, and climate experts worldwide. Efforts are being made to design functional catalysts, devices, and reactors that can convert CO2 into useful products, such as low-carbon fuels and chemicals, thereby reducing its concentration in the atmosphere. Advancements in technologies like 3D printing can aid in fabricating electrodes and devices to address the rising CO2 concerns. This article discusses the fabrication of 3D-printed catalysts, devices, and reactors for the electrochemical reduction of CO2, along with post-printing treatments, catalyst modifications, and other CO2 mitigation strategies.