Photothermal methane dry reforming: catalyst architectures, mechanistic pathways, and future challenges

conditions, the suppression of side reactions, and the lack of real-time diagnostic tools to probe nanoscale thermal gradients and intermediate transformations. By bridging structure-activity relationships with photophysical and interfacial phenomena, this review aims to guide the rational design of next-generation PT-DRM catalysts and accelerate the development of solar-driven syngas production technologies.