Cu-based Bimetallic Catalysts for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction: Before and Beyond the Tandem Effect

Abstract

Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is a promising approach for carbon reduction and the production of high-value chemicals. Among the various catalysts, Cu-based bimetallic catalysts have recently attracted significant attention due to their superior catalytic activity, which often outperforms pure Cu counterparts, owing to the finding of the Tandem effect. This review provides an in-depth discussion of the development of Cu-based bimetallic catalysts for CO2RR in the past decades, with the discovery, understanding, and evolution of the Tandem effect serving as the central thematic thread. Important milestone works have been reviewed and organized in a roughly historical manner to disclose the development of edge-cutting understanding and the challenges remain in this field. We believe this review can help the research community clearly see the progress from the original to the latest findings and seize the underlying clues for the Cu-based bimetallic catalysts for CO2RR.