Nanostructured electrocatalysts for electrochemical carboxylation with CO2

Electrocarboxylation of organic compounds with CO2, using electrons as clean reductants under ambient conditions, is a readily available and efficient method to transform organic molecules to high-value carboxylates with nearly 100% atom efficiency. However, the selectivity of the electrochemical reactions is still limited, the real reactive sites for electrocarboxylation; the relationship between the geometrical/electronic structure and the catalytic performance is unclear. Meanwhile, the development of nanomaterials brings new prospects and orientation for the electrocarboxylation due to the desired high surface area and abundant active sites. In this review, we focus on the summary of recent work on the design of nanostructured electrocatalysts and the reaction mechanisms of electrocarboxylation. Mainly, we highlight the influence of different electrocatalyst structures on a variety of organic molecule adsorption. Finally, some challenges were proposed to explore advanced electrocatalysts and the deeper reactive mechanism for electrocarboxylation.