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The electrochemical reduction (ECR) of CO 2 is a powerful strategy to reduce the world's carbon footprint by converting CO 2 to useful products such as CH 3 OH and CO. Recent techno-economic analysis has found that for the electro-conversion of CO 2 to be adapted for practical use, the main products formed from this reaction need to be low-order, such as CO. This review summarizes recent progress in the ECR of CO 2 to CO on nano-electrocatalysts (noble, non-noble metals and carbon nanomaterials) and provides the limitations and challenges that each electrocatalyst faces. It discusses the mechanism behind the performance of the electrocatalysts and offers the potential future prospects of the ECR process., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)