Nanostructured 2D Materials: Prospective Catalysts for Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction

Abstract

Electrochemical CO2 reduction to useful fuels and chemicals, driven by renewable energy from intermittent sources such as solar and wind, has been keenly pursued in recent years as a means to resolving energy security and environmental issues associated with conventional fossil fuels. Nanostructured two‐dimensional (2D) materials, possessing abundant active sites in the form of surface atoms and edge sites, and providing better electrical conductivity along 2D conducting channels, represent promising candidates for high‐performance CO2‐reduction electrocatalysts. Here, newly developed nanostructured 2D materials, including atomically thin transition‐metal/metal oxides, transition‐metal dichalcogenides, and metal‐free 2D materials, are highlighted as state‐of‐the‐art catalysts toward electrochemical CO2 reduction. Through further exploration of new nanostructured 2D materials and their nanocomposites, more and more breakthroughs in this field of research are to be expected.

A Review of Direct Z‐Scheme Photocatalysts

“…The ever‐rising demand for fossil fuels and a collateral increase in the concentration of atmospheric CO 2 have urged the development of carbon‐management technologies . To this end, much research has been devoted to searching for new technologies for the reduction of CO 2 , for example biological conversion, electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and photothermal catalysis . Among them, photocatalytic CO 2 reduction into valuable chemical fuels such as CH 4 , CH 3 OH, HCOOH, and CH 2 O has received great attention because it can alleviate the current dependence on fossil fuels of human society, as well as reducing the CO 2 concentration in the atmosphere .…”

2D Early Transition Metal Carbides (MXenes) for Catalysis

“…Photocatalysis, an advanced catalysis technology that has been widely studied for environmental cleaning and chemical synthesis, has play crucial roles in addressing the global energy and environmental challenges in a sustainable manner. Over the past decade, significant progress has been achieved in the development of 2D materials such as graphene and TMDs as efficient catalysts for photocatalytic H 2 production, water splitting, and CO 2 reduction . Since the advent of MXenes in 2011, they have been predicted as promising cocatalysts for photocatalysis because: i) The surface of the MXenes are terminated by functional groups (‐OH, ‐O, and ‐F) that enable their intimate coupling with other semiconductors for heterostructures.…”

One‐dimensional Nanomaterial Electrocatalysts for CO2Fixation

“…[18] Compared to 1D nanomaterials, the large-scale synthesis of 2D nanomaterials with well-controlled nanostructures is challenging, as the strongi n-plane bonds, electrostatic interaction, and p-p stacking within the atomic layers often result in severe agglomeration. [19] As for 3D nanomaterials, three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures such as nanodendrites and nanoflowers with trunks,m ultiple side branches, and petals are complex and thus often result in multiple reactionp athways for charge and mass transport. [20] Althoughe xtensive reviews have been reported on 1D materials in different energy storages ystems, such as water-splitting, [18] sodium-ion batteries, [21] Li-ion batteries, [21,22] and fuel cells, [23] nonetheless, the review of applying 1D nanoscale materials for CO 2 RR is still limited.…”