Liquid Hydrocarbon Production from CO : Recent Development in Metal-Based Electrocatalysis.

Rising levels of CO accumulation in the atmosphere have attracted considerable interest in technologies capable of CO capture, storage and conversion. The electrochemical reduction of CO into high-value liquid organic products could be of vital importance to mitigate this issue. The conversion of CO into liquid fuels by using photovoltaic cells, which can readily be integrated in the current infrastructure, will help realize the creation of a sustainable cycle of carbon-based fuel that will promote zero net CO emissions. Despite promising findings, significant challenges still persist that must be circumvented to make the technology profitable for large-scale utilization. With such possibilities, this Minireview presents the current high-performing catalysts for the electrochemical reduction of CO to liquid hydrocarbons, address the limitations and unify the current understanding of the different reaction mechanisms. The Minireview also explores current research directions to improve process efficiencies and production rate and discusses the scope of using photo-assisted electrochemical reduction systems to find stable, highly efficient catalysts that can harvest solar energy directly to convert CO into liquid hydrocarbons.