Advancements in Understanding Catalyst Reconstruction During Electrochemical CO Reduction.

Electrochemical CO reduction reaction (CORR) has received great attention to solve CO- induced global warming and carbon neutrality. It is essential to enhance the electrochemical CORR selectivity, activity, and long-term stability for sustainable manufacturing of specific chemicals via CORR. To produce multi-carbon (C) chemicals, Cu-based heterogeneous catalysts have been developed in terms of defect engineering, morphological design, and facet control. Despite the substantial efforts for the design of efficient Cu-based heterogeneous catalysts, there exist inevitable structural changes of catalysts with continuous dissolution and redeposition during CORR. This reconstruction modifies the as-synthesized catalysts into an unpredictable structure and leads to changes in active site. Here, we review the reconstruction of Cu-based catalysts during CORR, which occurs via continuous dissolution and redeposition process. This includes fundamental principles of reconstruction and the effect of microenvironment on reconstruction during CORR. We offer research progress about the reconstruction of Cu-based electrocatalysts, analysis methodologies to track the reconstruction, and the insight to improve the activity, selectivity, and stability of CORR. We provide perspective to understand and harness the reconstruction for the development of efficient CORR catalysts.