Catalytic
conversion of CO
2 into valuable chemicals like CH
3OH is
the most promising way to alleviate CO
2 emission for solving the
serious climate change issue. Multi-component catalysts with well-defined
interface show outstanding performance in CO
2 conversion due to the
synergistic effects and multifunctional properties caused by the well-defined
interface. A discharge technique, named as cold plasma, has been recognized as
an excellent strategy for tuning catalyst interface properties. The temperature
of cold plasma is lower than 200 ⁰C, and can be further lowered to room
temperature by simply changing the operation conditions of cold plasma. The
lower temperature of cold plasma can well maintain the catalyst structures,
especially the porous structures. When conducting cold plasma, in addition to
nontoxic working gases
like
Ar and air, no harmful substances are
used. Cold-plasma-prepared catalysts have unique interface properties, and
thereby exhibit superior performance in CO
2 conversion over the
catalysts prepared by traditional methods. The present review summarizes the progress about the cold-plasma-prepared catalysts for CO
2 conversion, discusses the origin for
the outstanding catalytic performance,
and proposes the challenges and
opportunities for further studies. This will stimulate more deep insights into the
cold-plasma-prepared catalysts with well-defined interface properties for achieving more efficient CO
2 conversion.