Emerging material engineering strategies for amplifying photothermal heterogeneous CO2 catalysis

Closing the carbon loop, through CO2 capture and utilization, is a promising route to mitigate climate change. Solar energy is a sustainable energy source which can be exploited to drive catalytic reactions for utilizing CO2, including converting the CO2 into useful products. Solar energy can be harnessed through a range of different pathways to valorize CO2. Whilst using solar energy to drive CO2 reduction has vast potential to promote catalytic CO2 conversions, the progress is limited due to the lack of understanding of property-performance relations as well as feasible material engineering approaches. Herein, we outline the various driving forces involved in photothermal CO2 catalysis. The heat from solar energy can be utilized to induce CO2 catalytic reduction reactions via the photothermal effect. Further, solar energy can act to modify reaction pathways through light-matter interactions. Light-induced chemical functions have demonstrated the ability to regulate intermediary reaction steps, and thus control the reaction selectivity. Photothermal catalyst structures and specific catalyst design strategies are discussed in this context. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the heat-light synergy and guidance for rational photothermal catalyst design for CO2 utilization.