Carbon Dioxide Conversion to Nanomaterials: Methods, Applications, and Challenges

Anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emission is one of the biggest global threats that we are confronted with in the 21st century. A lack of prompt action to mitigate the atmospheric CO2 level could lead to global catastrophic events. As a result of the significance of the aforementioned threat, multiple nations have agreed to enact carbon capture, storage, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) technologies at academic and industrial scales with the aim of lowering the atmospheric CO2 level. Although there are many reviews on CCUS technologies, there is a lack of comprehensive review on CO2 conversion to more economically valuable products, such as nanomaterials. Carbon dioxide capture and conversion into nanomaterials is an interesting research topic in many ways because it contributes to our fundamental knowledge of material conversion, provides alternative ways to reduce atmospheric pollution, and yields lucrative products, which has not been explored broadly. Aside from the positive outcomes, we have a moral obligation to rectify a global threat caused by anthropogenic emission. Herein, we present current methods of converting CO2 into organic and inorganic nanomaterials with a focus on operating conditions and challenges as well as the potential of nanomaterials in specifically biomedical applications as opposed to extensively reviewed energy-related uses. Moreover, our review emphasizes the toxicity issues related to using such nanomaterials in biological settings based on literature and other comparable studies.