Progress in Catalysts for Formic Acid Production by Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide

Abstract

Utilising renewable energy to drive the conversion of carbon dioxide into more valuable products can effectively alleviate the energy crisis and protect the environment while actively responding to the policy of “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality”. Additionally, formic acid/formate is one of the most promising and commercially valuable products of the electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction reaction (ECO₂RR) as well as a nonhazardous material for hydrogen storage. With the continuous progress in the field of electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction to formic acid/formate (ECO₂RF), various electrocatalysts with excellent performance have been developed. In this paper, first, the reaction mechanism of ECO₂RF is briefly summarised, and then the recent research progress for various catalysts for ECO₂RF, including metal-based catalysts, carbon-based material catalysts, metal–organic framework catalysts, covalent organic framework catalysts, and molecular catalysts, is reviewed. Finally, the current challenges and future perspectives of ECO₂RF are discussed and presented.