METAL-BASED REUSABLE CATALYSTS FOR PHOTOREDUCTION OF CO2 TO FUELS: FUNDAMENTALS AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Abstract

CO₂ photoreduction into solar fuels is supposed to be one of the finest approaches to simultaneously dealing with global warming and energy shortage. Low photoconversion efficiency and low selectivity toward target products are the major challenges for CO₂ photoreduction. To counter these challenges it is necessary to develop cost-effective, stable, and highly active photocatalysts. Metal-based materials having tunable band gaps, high stability, and excellent physicochemical and electrochemical properties attract the attention of researchers and are widely studied as potential photocatalysts. In this review, recent progress in the fundamental understanding of photocatalytic CO₂ reduction on the surface of metal-based heterogeneous catalysts is described. This review summarizes the different methodologies that have been established to date to control product selectivity toward C1 and C2+ products through photocatalysis, emphasizing the most promising approaches. The challenges and outlooks of CO₂ photoreduction over metal-based heterogeneous catalysts are discussed.