Conversion of methane into value-added chemicals is of significance for methane utilization and industrial demand of primary chemical products. The barrier associated with the nonpolar structure of methane and the high bond energy C-H bond (4.57 eV) makes it difficult to realize methane conversion and activation under mild conditions. The photothermal synergetic strategy by combining photon energy and thermo energy provides an advanced philosophy to achieve efficient methane conversion. In this review, we overview the current pioneering studies of photothermal methane indirect conversion and present the methane direct conversion by the way of photocatalysis and thermocatalysis to provide a fundamental understanding of methane activation. Finally, we end this review with a discussion on the remaining challenges and perspectives of methane direct conversion over single-atom catalysts via photothermal synergetic strategy.

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