Polyoxometalates as electron and proton reservoir assist electrochemical CO2 reduction

Limited and non-renewable fossil fuels prompt people to develop CO2 reduction technology. Polyoxometalate (POM)-based electrocatalysts have flourished due to their intriguing molecular structure and unique redox chemistry. In this Research Update, the investigations of POM-based electrocatalysts for CO2 are summarized through the following stages: first, brief fundamentals of electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) and a concise introduction of POMs are introduced to provide a preliminary understanding of POM-based electrocatalysts for CO2RR; next a chronology is retrospected with respect to the development of POM-based electrocatalysts for CO2RR; subsequently, representative works are demonstrated based on the POMs themselves and POM-modified metals/alloys, and molecular catalysts as CO2RR electrocatalysts. Finally, perspectives are proposed for the challenges of the design and development of POM-based systems for electrochemical CO2RR.