Metal‐based Heterogeneous Electrocatalysts for Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Methane: Progress and Challenges

Abstract Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂ER) has attracted enormous research interest owing to the feasibility to consume the excessive CO₂ in atmosphere arising from overconsumption of fossil fuels and store the chemical energy in value‐added chemicals. The conversion of CO₂ into methane (CH₄) is of great importance, and recent advance has allowed the design and utilisation of effective electrocatalysts with improved electrocatalytic performance regarding product selectivity and Faradaic efficiency. In this mini‐review, we discuss the recent progress and challenges of metal‐based heterogeneous electrocatalyst for CO₂ER into CH₄ by starting with fundamental mechanisms and designing principles of effective electrocatalysts. In the following sections, we present several successful demonstrations and analyze the effect and contribution arising from their chemical composition, facet, size, and other characters. Some challenges and promising strategies are discussed finally.