Photocatalytic and electrocatalytic CO₂ conversion: from fundamental principles to design of catalysts

Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is regarded as a major contributor to global warming and the climate crisis. To mitigate its negative impacts, a potential strategy is adopted, namely converting CO2 into renewable fuels or valuable chemicals. Because of the sluggish thermodynamic and kinetic processes, catalysts (photocatalysts or electrocatalysts) are essential during CO2 reduction. In this review, fundamental concepts, catalytic principles and reaction pathways related to photocatalysis and electrocatalysis for CO2 reduction are provided, along with a survey of the progress in the rational design of new photocatalysts and electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction. Discussions in the field are mainly focused on the design strategies of catalysts that have been introduced to increase visible light excitation, improve charge separation and enhance CO2 adsorption of photocatalysts and alter electronic and geometric properties of electrocatalysts. Finally, recommendations and outlook for improving the selectivity of CO2 reduction and in achieving efficient, stable and selective CO2 photocatalysts or electrocatalysts are pointed out. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry

Photoelectrochemical CO2 Reduction Products Over Sandwiched Hybrid Ga2O3:ZnO/Indium/ZnO Nanorods

“…On the basis of the CO 2 reduction of major products, the simplified CO 2 reduction mechanism is depicted in Figure 8 ( Sohn et al, 2017 ; Wang et al, 2019 ; Song et al, 2020 ; Prabhu et al, 2020 ; Sun et al, 2021 ; da Silva Freitas et al, 2021 ; Ješić et al, 2021 ; Ochedi et al, 2021 ; Chen et al, 2021 ; Bellardita et al, 2021 ). In an NaHCO 3 electrolyte saturated with CO 2 , two processes are initially involved; H + + e − → H ad and CO 2 + H + + e − → HOOC ad .…”

“…Producing recycled energy products using abundant CO 2 is another challenging project for future solutions for energy and environment ( Sohn et al, 2017 ; Wang et al, 2019 ; Prabhu et al, 2020 ; Song et al, 2020 ; Bellardita et al, 2021 ; Chen et al, 2021 ; da Silva Freitas et al, 2021 ; Ješić et al, 2021 ; Ochedi et al, 2021 ; Sun et al, 2021 ). Electrochemical CO 2 reduction is a promising method, and the development of electrodes is a major goal for approaching practical application in the industry.…”

PVP‐assisted synthesis of P‐Bi4O5Br2/AgI heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic activity for degradation of rhodamine B

“…In recent years, lots of high-performance photocatalysts have been produced and widely used in the degradation of pollutants, hydrogen production, carbon dioxide reduction, and other aspects. [1][2][3][4][5] As a member of Bi x O y X z (X = Cl, Br and I), Bi 4 O 5 Br 2 photocatalyst with layered structure has a built-in electric field that can accelerate the migration of carrier. [6][7][8] Whatʼs more, Bi 4 O 5 Br 2 has a relatively narrow bandgap (2.36 eV), which could get a higher visible light absorption capacity.…”

The Reaction of CO2 with a Borylnitrene: Formation of an 3‐Oxaziridinone

“…Carbon dioxide is one important contributor to the greenhouse effect, and its increasing emission from various sources triggers research of its capture and recycling into chemicals. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ] The use of CO 2 , which is non‐toxic and abundantly present in nature, as a C1 building block in chemical reaction systems is still not very common due to its high thermodynamic and kinetic stability. [14] However, despite this, there are systems which are known to show reactivity towards CO 2 .…”