Bioinspired Hydrophobicity for Enhancing Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction (CO₂R) is a promising pathway for converting greenhouse gasses into valuable fuels and chemicals using intermittent renewable energy. Enormous efforts have been invested in developing and designing CO₂R electrocatalysts suitable for industrial applications at accelerated reaction rates. The microenvironment, specifically the local CO₂ concentration (local [CO₂]) as well as the water and ion transport at the CO₂–electrolyte–catalyst interface, also significantly impacts the current density, Faradaic efficiency (FE), and operation stability. In nature, hydrophobic surfaces of aquatic arachnids trap appreciable amounts of gases due to the “plastron effect”, which could inspire the reliable design of CO₂R catalysts and devices to enrich gaseous CO₂. In this review, starting from the wettability modulation, we summarize CO₂ enrichment strategies to enhance CO₂R. To begin, superwettability systems in nature and their inspiration for concentrating CO₂ in CO₂R are described and discussed. Moreover, other CO₂ enrichment strategies, compatible with the hydrophobicity modulation, are explored from the perspectives of catalysts, electrolytes, and electrolyzers, respectively. Finally, a perspective on the future development of CO₂ enrichment strategies is provided. We envision that this review could provide new guidance for further developments of CO₂R toward practical applications.

公众号：WileyChem