Review on Heteroatom Doping Carbonaceous Materials Toward Electrocatalytic Carbon Dioxide Reduction

Abstract

AbstractCarbon dioxide (CO2) reduction into chemicals or fuels by electrocatalysis can effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions and alleviate the energy crisis. Currently, CO2 electrocatalytic reduction (CO2RR) has been considered as an ideal way to achieve “carbon neutrality.” In CO2RR, the characteristics and properties of catalysts directly determine the reaction activity and selectivity of the catalytic process. Much attention has been paid to carbon-based catalysts because of their diversity, low cost, high availability, and high throughput. However, electrically neutral carbon atoms have no catalytic activity. Incorporating heteroatoms has become an effective strategy to control the catalytic activity of carbon-based materials. The doped carbon-based catalysts reported at present show excellent catalytic performance and application potential in CO2RR. Based on the type and quantity of heteroatoms doped into carbon-based catalysts, this review summarizes the performances and catalytic mechanisms of carbon-based materials doped with a single atom (including metal and without metal) and multi atoms (including metal and without metal) in CO2RR and reveals prospects for developing CO2 electroreduction in the future.