Recent advances in Cu-based heterostructures and their Li-CO2 battery application.

Lithium carbon dioxide (Li-CO2) batteries have recently attracted extensive attention since they offer a great approach to simultaneously realize CO2 capture and conversion. However, the sluggish kinetics and complex reaction mechanism at the cathodic side significantly hinder the improvement in the performance of Li-CO2 batteries. Therefore, highly-efficient electrocatalysts are required to solve the problems encountered in Li-CO2 batteries. Copper (Cu)-based nanomaterials, particularly those containing unique heterointerfaces, have been regarded as outstanding electrocatalysts for the aqueous CO2 reduction reaction but have scarcely been applied in Li-CO2 battery systems thus far. Thus, to explore advanced electrocatalysts for CO2-related reactions in Li-CO2 batteries, herein, we primarily discuss the recent progress in Cu-based heterostructures and thoughtfully assess their potential electrocatalytic functionality towards Li-CO2 batteries. The structure and charge-discharge mechanism of Li-CO2 battery is first introduced and analyzed. Then, Cu-based heterostructures categorized by fascinating approaches are systematically reviewed and discussed. Subsequently, the currently reported Cu-based electrocatalysts for Li-CO2 batteries are summarized. Finally, the future challenges and development directions of Cu-based heterojunction electrocatalysts for Li-CO2 batteries are prospected.