Advancements in electrocatalyst for electrocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to methane

The ever-increasing concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere due to anthropogenic activities is responsible for climate change and thus must be mitigated. Carbon capture, conversion, and utilization (CCU) technologies are available to tackle CO2 emissions and convert them into useful products. Electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 (CO2R) to methane (CH4) driven by renewable energy provides the research community with an advantageous approach to offset climate change and resolve the energy crisis by providing energy rich CH4. However, CO2R to CH4 suffers from low Faradic efficiency (FE) and high overpotential requirement. Worldwide research efforts aim to make CO2R to CH4 technologically mature with conventional CH4-producing technologies by designing the best electrocatalyst. In this review, we comprehensively review different categories and the impact of the morphology of electrocatalysts on the FE of CO2R to CH4. The review will be useful for the industrial-scale implementation of CO2R to CH4 at competitive market prices with fossil-based CH4 technologies.