Advances in Modulating the Activity and Selectivity of Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction to Multicarbon Products

The emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) induced by the widespread use of fossil fuels has caused global warming and climate issues. Photocatalytic CO2 reduction technology, which utilizes solar energy to convert CO2 into carbon-based fuels, provides a promising sustainable green way to ameliorate the energy crisis and reduce CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Multicarbon products (C2+) with higher energy density and larger market value attract widespread research interests. This review is focused on the recent progress of photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to C2+ products. Starting from the discussion on the fundamental mechanism of photocatalytic CO2 conversion to C2+ products, the strategies of photocatalyst design for C2+ fuels synthesis from CO2 are summarized. Particularly, the photocatalyst optimization approaches for improving the activity and especially selectivity of CO2 reduction reaction (CRR) to access C2+ products are highlighted. Finally, some personal outlook on this research direction of photocatalytic CRR to C2+ products is presented. This review is expected to evoke more research attention on the value-added C2+ fuels synthesis from solar energy powered CRR.