Electrolyte-Regulated Conversion of Small Resource Molecules.

Electrocatalysis powered by renewable electricity is a promising strategy for clean energy transformation and achieving carbon neutrality goals. In resource molecules conversion (e.g., CO2 and NO3 -), electrolytes serve multiple roles as reaction media, proton donors, and mass-transport carriers, with their composition and physicochemical properties exerting a significant influence on reaction pathways, intermediate stability, and product selectivity. Most research endeavors have predominantly concentrated on catalyst design, often oversimplifying electrolytes as inert backgrounds. This minireview proposes a classification framework for electrolyte effects into short-, medium-, and long-range interactions, highlighting their active regulatory roles at electrified interfaces. A comprehensive overview is provided of recent advancements in methodologies for investigating solvent effects, accompanied by an in-depth analysis of representative electrocatalytic systems. This analysis elucidates how the composition of electrolytes influences molecular-level elementary reaction steps, the dynamic reorganization and equilibrium of the interfacial microenvironment, as well as macroscopic catalytic performance, through a variety of distinct mechanisms. Finally, the key challenges and opportunities are also discussed, emphasizing electrolyte engineering as a strategic tool to reshape reaction environments and accelerate the practical deployment of electrocatalytic technologies.