Cu‐Based Catalysts Design Toward Electrochemical CO 2 Reduction to Valuable Multi‐Carbons Products

ABSTRACT Electrochemical reduction of CO 2 to multi‐carbon products (e.g., C 2+ , ethene, ethanol, etc.) not only effectively decreases the CO 2 concentration in atmosphere but also shows great potential economic benefits due to these exploitable value‐added products. The Cu‐based catalysts have caught much attention in CO 2 electroreduction due to the good selectivity to hydrocarbons products. However, designing appropriate Cu‐based catalysts is desirable to further improve the energy efficiency and selectivity of specific C 2+ product. In this review, primary pathways of CO 2 electroreduction to C 2+ products are first discussed to summarize the key elementary steps of C 2+ products formation. Subsequently, various strategies of catalytic activity regulation of Cu‐based catalysts are classified into geometric and electronic structures modification based on the inner correlation between these strategies and the mechanism of C 2+ products formation. The review ends with a cross‐scale perspective that links the selectivity enhancement of a specific C 2+ product and the target design of Cu‐based catalysts.