Carbon dioxide chemistry has attracted significant interest in recent years. Although the field is diverse, a current and more comprehensive review of the surface science literature may be of interest for a variety of communities since environmental chemistry, energy technology, materials science, catalysis, and nanocatalysis are certainly affected by gas-surface properties. The review describes surface phenomena and characterization strategies highlighting similarities and differences, instead of providing only a list of system-specific information. The various systems are roughly distinguished as those that clearly form carbonates and those that merely physisorb CO2 at ultra-high vacuum conditions. Nevertheless, extended sections about specific systems including rarely studied surfaces and unusual materials are included, making this review also useful as a reference. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.