A few basic concepts in electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction

With the looming global environmental crisis, electrochemical CO₂ reduction (CO₂R) is a hot topic. Excellent perspectives on mechanistic studies^1-3 practical vapor-fed devices⁴, and technoeconomic and system-level analyses^5-7 have come out in the past few years, all with compelling visions for the future. We can also harken back to Hori’s timeless review of his work over several decades⁸, which seeded many of the impressive advances today. But as the French maxim says: parfois, il faut reculer pour mieux sauter. Here, I showcase a few basic concepts in the fundamental mechanistic studies of CO₂R.