Electrocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to valuable chemicals and fuels driven by renewable energy plays a crucial role in achieving net-zero carbon emissions. Understanding the structure-activity relationship and the reaction mechanism is significant for tuning electrocatalyst selectivity. Therefore, characterizing catalyst dynamic evolution and reaction intermediates under reaction conditions is necessary but still challenging. We first summarize the most recent progress in mechanistic understanding of heterogeneous CO2/CO reduction using in situ/operando techniques, including surface-enhanced vibrational spectroscopies, X-ray- and electron-based techniques, and mass spectroscopy, along with discussing remaining limitations. We then offer insights and perspectives to accelerate the future development of in situ/operando techniques.
Keywords: advanced characterization techniques; carbon dioxide electroreduction; catalyst; electrolyte; mechanistic insights; reaction intermediates.