Rational Design of Advanced Functional Catalysts for Photo‐Reforming Glucose into Bio‐Derived Fuels and Chemicals

Transforming renewable biomass resources into high-value chemicals and energy-dense fuels has become paramount for advancing sustainable economic development toward a carbon-neutral society. Glucose, a key platform molecule for biomass, has attracted considerable research attention for its promise as a feedstock for the production of various biochemicals and biofuels. To achieve glucose conversion with enhanced selectivity and efficiency, it is critical to develop high-performance heterogeneous photocatalysts and fine-tune cascade catalytic processes. This review provides a systematic overview of recent progress in design of advanced functional catalysts for photo-reforming glucose into bio-derived fuels and a variety of bio-based molecules, with an emphasis on design and applications of functionalized heterogeneous photocatalysts, including material structure optimization strategies and their impacts on catalytic performance. Furthermore, this review covers key aspects such as reaction mechanism elucidation, product selectivity control, and reaction condition optimization, providing comprehensive insights into structure-activity relationships and functional modification strategies. Through a systematic analysis of the current research landscape, this review outlines the rational design principles for functional catalysts and the optimization strategies for catalytic processes. It aims to provide theoretical guidance for the development of efficient and stable photocatalytic systems and to offer new solutions to producing green chemicals/fuels and achieving carbon neutrality.