Impacts of engineered catalyst microenvironments using conductive polymers during electrochemical CO₂ reduction

The urgent demand on net-zero emissions urges solutions for sustainable energy and chemical processes. Electrochemical CO₂ reduction stands as a promising avenue in this pursuit, leveraging renewable energy sources to convert CO₂ and H₂O into valuable chemicals and fuels. Although fundamental knowledges have been acquired by the intensive research efforts for the last decades, challenges persist, particularly in achieving high activity, selectivity, and long-term stability for commercialization of the technology. Addressing these challenges, recent investigations highlight the pivotal role of engineered catalyst microenvironments relating to mass and ion transportation. This review explores the impacts of leveraging conductive polymers in tailoring the catalyst microenvironments, thereby enhancing activity, selectivity, and long-term stability and offers valuable insights for advancing its technologies.