Pressure-Enhanced Electrocatalysis for Small-Molecule Conversion

High-pressure electrocatalysis has rapidly evolved into a versatile strategy for overcoming the solubility, mass transport, and kinetic limitations that beset ambient-pressure electrochemical conversions. By increasing the pressure, interfacial concentrations of key reactants such as CO₂, CO, N₂, and NO can be raised by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude, profoundly reshaping surface coverage of intermediates, local pH, and electric double-layer structure. Over the past 5 years, these effects have enabled record-level Faradaic efficiencies and industrially relevant current densities for the synthesis of formate, methane, multicarbon oxygenates, and ammonia. Coupled advances in reactor architecture—from pressure-tolerant H-cells and narrow-gap flow cells to zero-gap membrane electrode assembly stacks—now permit sustained operation at dozens of bar while maintaining energy efficiencies above 40%. Complementary operando spectroscopies capable of withstanding harsh conditions have elucidated pressure-controlled reaction pathways. Our work aims to advance the electrochemical synthesis of fundamental chemicals, positioning high-pressure electrochemical synthesis as a viable and transformative solution.