Low-Dimensional Nanostructured Photocatalysts for Efficient CO2 Conversion into Solar Fuels

Abstract

The ongoing energy crisis and global warming caused by the massive usage of fossil fuels and emission of CO2 into atmosphere continue to motivate researchers to investigate possible solutions. The conversion of CO2 into value-added solar fuels by photocatalysts has been suggested as an intriguing solution to simultaneously mitigate global warming and provide a source of energy in an environmentally friendly manner. There has been considerable effort for nearly four decades investigating the performance of CO2 conversion by photocatalysts, much of which has focused on structure or materials modification. In particular, the application of low-dimensional structures for photocatalysts is a promising pathway. Depending on the materials and fabrication methods, low-dimensional nanomaterials can be formed in zero dimensional structures such as quantum dots, one-dimensional structures such as nanowires, nanotubes, nanobelts, and nanorods, and two-dimensional structures such as nanosheets and thin films. These nanostructures increase the effective surface area and possess unique electrical and optical properties, including the quantum confinement effect in semiconductors or the localized surface plasmon resonance effect in noble metals at the nanoscale. These unique properties can play a vital role in enhancing the performance of photocatalytic CO2 conversion into solar fuels by engineering the nanostructures. In this review, we provide an overview of photocatalytic CO2 conversion and especially focus on nanostructured photocatalysts. The fundamental mechanism of photocatalytic CO2 conversion is discussed and recent progresses of low-dimensional photocatalysts for efficient conversion of CO2 into solar fuels are presented.

Solar fuels: research and development strategies to accelerate photocatalytic CO2 conversion into hydrocarbon fuels

“…The morphology/dimensionality of a material surface is another crucial issue that can be used to accelerate the kinetics of photocatalysis. 143,144 Low-dimensional materials, defined as nanostructured materials smaller than 100 nm, possess unique optical and electronic properties that originate from quantum confinement and plasmon resonance effects. [144][145][146][147][148] Lowdimensional materials can be classified into three categories, namely, (i) zero-dimensional (0D), (ii) one-dimensional (1D), and (iii) two-dimensional (2D) structures.…”

Recent Breakthrough in Layered Double Hydroxides and Their Applications in Petroleum, Green Energy, and Environmental Remediation

“…Nanomaterials have better and different properties than bulky materials due to the restricted electronic motion in the new nano-sized environment. The discovered nanomaterials involve carbon nanotubes (CNTs) [32] graphene sheets [33], metal-organic frameworks [34,35], polymer nanocomposites [36], quantum dots [37], single crystals [38], core shells [39], and layered double hydroxides (LDHs).…”

Monochromatic light-enhanced photocatalytic CO2 reduction based on exciton properties of two-dimensional lead halide perovskites

“…In this case, it is necessary to find a way of reducing atmospheric CO 2 and producing energy at the same time. 2 Solar energy is the most attractive alternative energy source because the sun provides free, renewable, abundant and sustainable energy. 1,3 Therefore, tremendous attention has been given to the effective utilization of solar energy.…”

“…[3][4][5][6][7][8] The conversion of CO 2 into valuable solar fuels by photocatalysts simultaneously mitigates global warming and provides an energy source in an environmentally friendly manner. 2 In recent years, many photocatalysts have been reported for solar-driven photocatalytic CO 2 reduction, such as metal oxides, 9,10 metal sulfides, 11,12 metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), 13 graphene oxides, 14 graphene nitrides, 15 etc. 1,16 Nevertheless, traditional photocatalysts suffer from low surface-reactive reaction sites, inefficient light harvesting and rapid recombination of electron-hole pairs, which causes their photocatalytic activity to deteriorate.…”