Using renewable electricity to electrochemically reduce CO2/CO (eCO(2)R) into value-added chemicals offers a promising pathway for sustainable fuel production. Although advances in catalyst design and system engineering have enabled CO2/CO electroreduction to achieve high current densities for producing hydrocarbons and oxygenates, the products remain largely limited to small carbon molecules (C1–C3). Recently, significant progress has been made in cascading eCO(2)R and downstream reactions to synthesize a broader spectrum of polymeric or higher-value carbon products. However, comprehensive summaries and perspectives on these cascade systems are still scarce in the eCO(2)R literature. This review systematically summarizes recent developments in cascade eCO(2)R and downstream conversion. The advantages brought by integrating eCO(2)R with additional reaction steps are analyzed, followed by the discussion of representative systems that couple eCO(2)R with thermocatalytic, biological, and electrochemical processes. Finally, the key challenges facing this emerging field are highlighted, along with perspectives on future research directions.
Zhizheng Wu (Wed,) studied this question.