Thermally-assisted photocatalytic CO2 reduction to fuels

• The principles of thermal promotion in photocatalysis were discussed. • The common thermal input patterns were summarized. • Thermally-assisted photocatalytic strategies in CO 2 reduction were reviewed. • Challenges and prospects of thermally-assisted photocatalytic CO 2 reduction were given. Using heat or radiation as a single driving force for implementing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) conversion is usually limited by sluggish kinetics. Whereas the thermally-assisted photocatalysis by coupling utilization of solar energy and thermal energy has therefore provided a promising alternative strategy to boost the conversion of CO 2 into high value-added synthetic fuels or chemicals under mild conditions. Herein, we will focus on the state-of-the-art advance in CO 2 reduction to fuels by thermally-assisted photocatalysis, with emphases on the thermally-promoted principles, the thermal input patterns as well as the product distributions of CO 2 reduction. In addition, some current challenges and perspectives will be discussed. This review not only gives a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of thermally-assisted photocatalytic CO 2 reduction, but provides guidelines to other catalytic transformations (e.g. methane oxidation, nitrogen fixation, and organic coupling reactions) by integrating solar and thermal energy to enhance the reaction efficiency.