Design and Synthesis of Ag-based Catalysts for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction: Advances and Perspectives

Ag-based nanocrystals have emerged as an important candidate for CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) owing to the increasing amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, which has shown a propensity to alleviate environmental problems and produce high value-added chemicals. This paper reviews the surface and interface engineering of Ag-based catalysts towards CO2RR, which involve in the morphology control, composition manipulation, and support effects. Various synthesis approaches are presented to discuss their influence on the size, crystal structure and morphology of Ag-based catalysts, including pure Ag NPs, Ag-based alloys, Ag/metal oxides composites as well as Ag/carbon materials. Next, the development of Ag-based surface and interface engineering that is essential to accelerate the formation of CO and its further conversion to C1 or even multicarbon products is systematically discussed. Finally, we give a short conclusion, and perspectives on the rational design of Ag-based catalysts based on surface and interface engineering will be discussed.