The emerging role of conducting polymers as catalysts for sustainable carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction pathways

Excess atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a critical driver of climate change, necessitating the development of effective mitigation strategies. Approaches such as direct air capture (DAC), carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), and the CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) have been widely investigated. Among these, CO₂RR stands out as a sustainable and promising pathway, particularly when coupled with renewable energy, enabling the conversion of CO₂ into value-added fuels and chemicals through diverse catalytic mechanisms. Conducting polymers have emerged as highly promising catalysts for CO₂RR due to their tunable optoelectronic properties, electrical conductivity, redox activity, and biocompatibility. When integrated with metals, metal oxides, chalcogenides, carbon materials, or metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), conducting polymers can significantly enhance catalyst performance by improving CO₂ adsorption and chemisorption, charge carrier mobility, photosensitization, photocurrent generation, and suppression of electron–hole recombination. Additional advantages, such as low density, mechanical flexibility, and cost-effective fabrication, further underscore their potential as scalable and eco-friendly alternatives to conventional inorganic catalysts. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of conducting polymer characteristics, and their integration into diverse CO₂RR pathways, including photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, photoelectrocatalysis, and bioelectrocatalysis. Mechanistic insights into the specific roles of conducting polymers in these processes are highlighted, along with a discussion of performance evaluation parameters and recent advances in conducting polymer-based composites and hybrids. By consolidating current knowledge and identifying key challenges and opportunities, this work underscores the emerging role of conducting polymers as versatile catalysts, offering a promising route toward sustainable CO₂ conversion technologies and long-term carbon neutrality.