Rational design of Cu-based electrocatalysts for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide

The recent development of Cu-based electrocatalysts for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) has attracted much attention due to their unique activity and selectivity compared to other metal catalysts. Particularly, Cu is the unique electrocatalyst for CO2 electrochemical reduction with high selectivity to generate a variety of hydrocarbons. In this review, we mainly summarize the recent advances on the rational design of Cu nanostructures, the composition regulation of Cu-based alloys, and the exploitation of advanced supports for improving the catalytic activity and selectivity toward electrochemical reduction of CO2. The special focus is to demonstrate how to enhance the activity and selectivity of Cu-based electrocatalyst for CO2 reduction. The perspectives and challenges for the development of Cu-based electrocatalysts are also addressed. We hope this review can provide timely and valuable insights into the design of advanced electrocatalytic materials for CO2 electrochemical reduction. (c) 2017 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press. All rights reserved.