Recent advances in carbon-based electrocatalysts for rechargeable Li-CO₂ batteries: A review

The growing demand for sustainable energy storage solutions has spurred significant interest in lithium-carbon dioxide (Li-CO₂) batteries, which utilize CO₂ as a cathode material while offering a high theoretical energy density (1876 Wh kg⁻¹). Unlike previous reviews that broadly survey Li-CO₂ battery systems, this review specifically focuses on the recent advancements in carbon-based electrocatalysts, which are pivotal for overcoming the sluggish kinetics of CO₂ reduction reactions (CRR) and CO₂ evolution reactions (CER). Carbon materials such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, and heteroatom-doped nanostructures exhibit high conductivity, tunable surface chemistry, and abundant active sites, making them highly effective for improving battery performance. We highlighted breakthroughs including nitrogen doping, single-atom catalysts, and 3D-printed architectures that have significantly enhanced discharge capacity, cycle stability, and reduced overpotentials. Despite these advances, critical challenges remain, including high charge overpotentials, inefficient Li₂CO₃ decomposition, and catalyst degradation. This review also outlines future directions for catalyst design, operando characterization techniques, and scalable synthesis methods. By narrowing the scope to carbon-based electrocatalysts, this review provides targeted insights that could accelerate the development of high-performance Li-CO₂ batteries and contribute to CO₂ utilization and renewable energy storage technologies.