Progress in the electrochemical reduction of CO2 on hierarchical dendritic metal electrodes

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 (ERC) is a promising way to deal with CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, recycle CO2, and achieve a carbon-neutral economy. Electrodes made of hierarchical dendritic materials are investigated for the ERC owing to their structural advantages, including large surface areas, presence of facets with low-coordinated atoms, and needle-like tips. Selected examples are presented to illustrate the state-of-the-art investigation of these dendritic electrodes. The mechanisms and the function of the dendritic structure are discussed, combined with a comparison of performance results of ERC.