Surface structure and composition effects on electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide electrochemical reduction has attracted significant attention due to its great potential in environmental protection and energy storage. In this mini-review, some recent progress in heterogeneous electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide is summarized, with a particular emphasis on the effects of catalyst surface modification. Several structural (metal overlayers, particle size adjustment, roughness creation, special 2D or 3D structure patterning) and compositional (alloy, doping, oxide, and composite) modification techniques are reviewed and discussed. Research directions towards more advanced catalysts design are proposed.