Atomically Dispersed Metal Catalysts for the Conversion of CO into High-Value C Chemicals.

The conversion of carbon dioxide (CO) into value-added chemicals with two or more carbons (C) is a promising strategy that cannot only mitigate anthropogenic CO emissions but also reduce the excessive dependence on fossil feedstocks. In recent years, atomically dispersed metal catalysts (ADCs), including single-atom catalysts (SACs), dual-atom catalysts (DACs), and single-cluster catalysts (SCCs), emerged as attractive candidates for CO fixation reactions due to their unique properties, such as the maximum utilization of active sites, tunable electronic structure, the efficient elucidation of catalytic mechanism, etc. This review provides an overview of significant progress in the synthesis and characterization of ADCs utilized in photocatalytic, electrocatalytic, and thermocatalytic conversion of CO toward high-value C compounds. To provide insights for designing efficient ADCs toward the C chemical synthesis originating from CO, the key factors that influence the catalytic activity and selectivity are highlighted. Finally, the relevant challenges and opportunities are discussed to inspire new ideas for the generation of CO-based C products over ADCs.