Progress of Nb-containing catalysts for carbon dioxide reduction: a minireview

Abstract

Nb-containing catalysts have the potential to catalyze carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction due to their strong surface acidity and CO2 activation sites. Still, they have not been widely used in the development and design of catalysts due to the theoretical/cost/safety limitations. Related advances have been continuously reported in the literature, demonstrating to some extent the promise of catalytic applications of Nb-containing catalysts in this area. In this minireview, we discuss the structure–activity relationships of Nb-containing catalysts for photo-, electro-, and thermocatalytic reduction of CO2. The engineering strategies of Nb-containing catalysts for enhancing the conversion and selectivity of CO2 reduction are discussed, ranging from Nb doping, noble metal decoration, surface acidity adjustment, oxygen vacancy engineering, and heterojunction construction to Nb or Nb2O5 particle decoration. The theoretical calculation research for the possible reaction paths and product selectivity is also discussed. Finally, the prospects for designing and optimizing Nb-containing catalysts are proposed. With a deep understanding of catalytic activity and reaction mechanism, this minireview is expected to present the optimization of the Nb-containing catalysts for efficient and highly selective CO2 reduction.