Recent Progress on Electrode Design for Efficient Electrochemical Valorisation of CO2 , O2 , and N2.

ABSTRACT

CO2 reduction, two-electron O2 reduction, and N2 reduction are sustainable technologies to valorise common molecules. Their further development requires working electrode design to promote the multistep electrochemical processes from gas reactants to value-added products at the device level. This review proposes critical features of a desirable electrode based on the fundamental electrochemical processes and the development of scalable devices. A detailed discussion is made to approach such a desirable electrode, addressing the recent progress on critical electrode components, assembly strategies, and reaction interface engineering. Further, we highlight the electrode design tailored to reaction properties (e.g., its thermodynamics and kinetics) for performance optimisation. Finally, the opportunities and remaining challenges are presented, providing a framework for rational electrode design to push these gas reduction reactions towards an improved technology readiness level (TRL).