Recent advances in catalytic CO₂ reduction by organometal complexes anchored on modified electrodes

A critical overview of the very recent literature on heterogeneous electrochemical catalysis of CO₂ reduction with organic metal modified electrodes is summarized. Five methods for electrode functionalization are discussed and compared in terms of efficiency and selectivity: adsorption, by using membranes, adopting a 'hybrid' covalent organic framework approach, performing electro polymerization directly on the electrode surface, and exploiting the formation of strong covalent chemical bonds between the surface and the desired catalyst. (authors)