Fixation of carbon dioxide (CO2) into advanced energy materials is an ideal protocol to address challenges in energy and environmental sustainability, with the efficiency of CO2 fixation and the functionality of derived materials being the key-enabling factors. Our recent results show that liquid Zn cathode serves as a depolarizer to facilitate the electrochemical reduction of CO2, and also a soft template to direct the generation of core-shell Zn@C spheres for enhanced energy storage performances. Implementation of affordable materials to achieve effective carbon reduction and sustainable energy is an imperative task.  The present study provides hints on enhancing efficiency of CO2 fixation and value-added utilization of massive nonferrous metals in energy storage. The above results are now accepted for publication in Advanced Energy Materials.