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The electro-oxidative synthesis of valued chemicals offers to enhance the overall efficiency and economic viability of renewable electrosynthesis systems. Here, the authors use dopant-tuned catalysts to promote the electrosynthesis of dimethyl carbonate from CO and methanol via oxidative carbonylation.

A study using a copper-in-silver dilute alloy catalyst in a high-pressure gas flow reactor reports highly selective electrosynthesis of acetate from carbon monoxide.

Electrosynthesis of higher carbon products (C₄₊) in a high selectivity has not been achieved by the direct reduction of CO₂ or CO. Here, the authors use a cascade electrocatalysis–thermocatalysis approach to produce butane from CO with an overall selectivity of 43%.

The electroreduction of CO₂ offers a promising approach to produce carbon-neutral methane using renewable electricity. This study shows that the introduction of Au in Cu enables selective methane production from CO₂ by regulating *CO availability.

Biomass is a renewable source of carbon that can be exploited to produce valuable chemicals and fuels. This Perspective discusses the electrochemical valorization of biomass, identifying specific chemical transformations in which the approach can excel.

Enhancing the kinetics and selectivity of CO₂/CO electroreduction towards valuable multi-carbon products poses a scientific challenge and is imperative for practical applicability. Here the authors report that modifying copper catalysts with surface thiol ligands significantly improves acetate selectivity.

Conventional alkaline and neutral CO₂-to-CH₄ systems suffer carbon loss, and recovering the lost carbon requires input energy exceeding the heating value of CH₄. Here, the authors report a chelating strategy to obtain Cu-N/O single sites decorated Cu clusters, which enables energy- and carbon-efficient CH₄ electroproduction in an acidic system.

The realisation of film made up of different compositions using colloidal QD inks remains a challenge because of redispersing of underlying films by polar solvents. Here, the authors introduce aromatic ligands to achieve QD inks in weakly-polar solvents that enable fabrication of multi-compositional films.

Oxygen reduction to hydrogen peroxide is a promising alternative to replace the energy-intensive anthraquinone process in industry. Now, the hydrogen peroxide electrosynthesis performance of a carbon-supported cobalt phthalocyanine catalyst is tuned via the introduction of oxygen functional groups to the support, which optimize the electronic structure of cobalt active sites.

The direct electrosynthesis of acetic acid from CO₂ typically has the drawback of CO₂ crossover. Now, a cascade approach for the electroreduction of CO₂ to CO, followed by CO to acetic acid, is reported in which off-target intermediates are destabilized, leading to an acetic acid Faradaic efficiency of 70%.

A global network of researchers was formed to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity; this paper reports 13 genome-wide significant loci and potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection.

Converting CO2 and H2O into value-added chemical feedstocks and fuels offers a carbon neutral approach to tackling global energy and climate concerns. Here the authors report a metal supported single-atom catalytic site enabling the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to methane.

Acidic conditions present a solution to carbonate formation in CO₂ electrolysis but create a selectivity issue through competing H₂ evolution. Here, theoretical methods are used to optimize acidity and select Pd–Cu as a selective electrocatalyst for acidic CO₂ reduction with negligible carbonate crossover and high single-pass carbon efficiency.

Electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide to methane can store intermittent renewable electricity in a staple of global energy. Here, the authors develop a moderator strategy to maintain the catalyst in a low coordination state, thereby enabling stable and selective electrochemical methanation.

The solar conversion efficiencies of photoelectrochemical catalysis are hindered by the light harvesting range. Here, the authors use near-infrared-active photoanodes that feature lattice-matched morphological hetero-nanostructures to realize efficient photoelectrochemical hydrogen production.

Electroreduction uses renewable energy to upgrade carbon dioxide to value-added chemicals and fuels. Here, the authors design a suite of ligand-stabilized metal oxide clusters to modulate the reduction pathways on a copper catalyst, enabling record activity for CO₂-to-methane conversion.

CO₂-to-ethylene conversion using renewable electricity provides a sustainable route to produce valuable chemicals. Here, the authors report high ethylene activity of 215 mA cm⁻² and selectivity of 65% made possible by silica clusters in copper.

The electrocatalytic upgrading of CO to higher-value fuels provides a promising route to multi-carbon alcohol products. Here, the authors show that high alcohol selectivity and activity can be achieved by incorporating palladium in copper.

Whole-genome sequencing, transcriptome-wide association and fine-mapping analyses in over 7,000 individuals with critical COVID-19 are used to identify 16 independent variants that are associated with severe illness in COVID-19.

Producing ethanol from carbon dioxide, water, and renewable electricity offers a route to sustainable energy. Here, the authors enhance electrocatalytic activity for carbon dioxide reduction by tuning adsorbed hydrogen in a class of copper catalysts with oxide- and hydroxide-modified surfaces.

Electrochemical conversion of CO₂ into liquid fuels, powered by renewable electricity, offers one means to address the need for the storage of intermittent renewable energy. Now, Sargent and co-workers present a cooperative catalyst design of molecule–metal interfaces to improve the electrosynthesis of ethanol from CO₂ by producing a reaction-intermediate-rich local environment.

Ethylene glycol is a commodity chemical with an annual consumption of 20 million tonnes. Its production generates 1.6 tonnes of CO₂ per tonne of ethylene glycol. To reduce these CO₂ emissions, the authors report a one-step electrochemical route to selectively convert ethylene to ethylene glycol at ambient temperature and pressure in aqueous media.

The electroreduction of CO₂ to ethanol could enable the clean production of fuels using renewable power. This study shows how confinement effects from nitrogen-doped carbon layers on copper catalysts enable selective ethanol production from CO₂ with a Faradaic efficiency of up to 52%.

Renewable electricity-powered CO₂ electroreduction offers a sustainable route to transform the chemical industry. Here the authors overview four CO₂ electrolysis pathways that could be immune from carbonate formation, a major technological barrier.

Chemicals and fuels can be generated from CO₂ via electrolysers that employ gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs). In this Review, the authors consider promising catalysts and reactors—and how these fail—to identify key advances and remaining gaps in the development of industrially relevant GDE-based CO₂ electrolysers.

We have found many Earth-sized worlds but we have no way of determining if their surfaces are Earth-like. This makes it impossible to quantitatively compare habitability, and pretending we can risks damaging the field.