Nanostructured heterogeneous catalysts for electrochemical reduction of CO2

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 provides a sustainable solution to address the intermittent renewable electricity storage while recycling CO2 to produce fuels and chemicals. Highly efficient catalytic materials and reaction systems are required to drive this process economically. This Review highlights the new trends in advancing the electrochemical reduction of CO2 by developing and designing nanostructured heterogeneous catalysts. The activity, selectivity and reaction mechanism are significantly affected by the nano effects in nanostructured heterogeneous catalysts. In the future, energy efficiency and current density in electrochemical reduction of CO2 need to be further improved to meet the requirements for practical applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.