CO2 reduction: the quest for electrocatalytic materials

Rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) are of significant concern in modern society, as they lead to global warming and consequential environmental and societal changes. It is of importance to develop industries with a zero or negative CO2 footprint. Electrochemistry, where one of the reagents is electrons, is an environmentally clean technology that is capable of addressing the conversion of CO2 to value-added products. The key factor in the process is the use of catalytic electrode materials that lead to the desired reaction and product. Significant progress in this field has been achieved in the past two years. This review discusses the progress in the development of electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction achieved during this time period.