Reduction of CO₂ by Photoelectrochemical Process Using Non‐Oxide Two‐Dimensional Nanomaterials – A Review

Abstract

Due to their catalytic characteristics, including highly accessible active sites, excellent charge separation properties, great capability for adsorption of CO2 and H2O due to abundant surface defects, and adjustable electronic features, non‐oxide two‐dimensional nanomaterials have received great attention in areas like water splitting and carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction. There are diverse non‐oxide 2D semiconductors reported in literature, among them this review inspects closely the two‐dimensional transition‐metal dichalcogenides (TMDC), MXene materials, graphitic carbon nitride catalysts, metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs), and the heterojunctions of those. This investigation is expected to stimulate new research to improve the design and possible applications of 2D materials by strategies that involve controlling the structural, optical, and electronic properties impacting the catalysts’ activity, selectivity, and stability for successful application in the CO2 reduction or other catalytic reactions.

Advances in Biomimetic Photoelectrocatalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide

“…Unlike several excellent previous reviews focusing on the catalysts, [ 5,17 ] catalytic methods, [ 18 ] and products [ 19 ] of CO 2 reduction, also those related to photoelectrocatalytic CO 2 conversion which focuses on the functions and performance of a specific category of catalytic materials or the selection of semiconductors, [ 20 ] strategies for selective CO 2 conversion to different products, [ 21 ] and reaction mechanisms, [ 22 ] our review sheds light on strategies for constructing a biomimetic PEC interface to realize certain functions of photosynthesis, focusing on one or several factors to simulate natural processes. Most recently, a review focusing on structural design of artificial leaves has been published in which the concept of mimicking natural photosynthesis is introduced in terms of catalyst design resembling the structure and function of plant leaves.…”

Two-Dimensional Layered Heterojunctions for Photoelectrocatalysis

“…Moreover, CO 2 adsorption on the material surface is a key step in the general CO 2 conversion efficiency. In this regard, thanks to the numerous surface active sites and the tunable electronic properties, 2D HJs have been studied with increasing effort . Currently, the production of C2 compounds such as alcohols and ethylene has become an important direction in the field of CO 2 RR, but the study of 2D HJs photoelectocatalysts is still poor both theoretically and experimentally.…”

A brief review of in situ spectroscopic methods and electrochemical sensors as essential evaluation tools for the electrochemical reduction of CO2 (ElRC)

“…The global conversion of CO 2 into different usable fuels is mostly facilitated by electrocatalytic and photo-electrocatalytic processes. [81][82][83] Nevertheless, the inert nature of the CO 2 molecule presents a basic challenge, which has to be addressed for an effective electrochemical process on a large scale to be accomplished. 84 Among the spectroscopy methods, UV-vis spectroelectrochemistry is unique because of its wide range of applications and ease of experiments, which facilitate systematic studies on samples under a variety of reaction environments.…”