“…In order to obtain more C 2 + products with high value, it is necessary to study the reaction intermediates and reaction pathways of the CO 2 RR process. − CO 2 RR occurs at the interface between electrode and electrolyte, and the catalytic activity and selectivity of the product are closely related to the binding strength of the intermediates generated by surface adsorption. At present, with the help of theoretical computing technology, the reaction pathway of the CO 2 RR is becoming more and more clear. ,,,,,, Through the interaction with atoms on the metal surface, CO 2 is chemisorbed to the catalyst surface to form CO* species at first. − Subsequently, different reaction intermediates are formed through CPET. , It should be noted that, in contrast to the C 1 product formation process, the C 2 + product formation involves a C–C coupling step. , In the kinetic study, this coupling step belongs to the second order reaction, which is not conducive to competition with the side reaction electrocatalytic dehydrogenation (HER), so the FE is lower. ,,− In addition, the C–C coupling reaction itself requires the catalyst to have both a strong enough adsorption capacity for CO to ensure high enough coverage of CO and a moderate activation energy barrier . Cu is the only metal that can effectively reduce CO 2 to hydrocarbons because, among many metal sites, the surface of Cu matches these characteristics.…”