Coupled metal atomic pairs for synergistic electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction

We highlight the emerging and rapidly developing area of dual-atom catalysts (DACs) for electrochemical CO₂ reduction (ECR). The DAC concept should be ideal for the efficient catalysis of the ECR reaction, as DACs offer the same intrinsic advantages as single-atom catalysts, yet the additional atom also presents an additional degree of freedom for synergistic catalyst design. This is especially important for the effective catalysis of multi-step reactions such as the ECR reaction, hence the particular relevance of DACs for this reaction. Yet DACs still present many challenges that must be overcome. Here, we first report the unique advantages of the DAC concept for the ECR reaction. This serves as a basis for discussing potential design strategies for realizing effective ECR from DACs. Our review concludes with an exploration of the challenges in the field and how these might be addressed.