Artificial photosynthesis: semiconductor photocatalytic fixation of CO2 to afford higher organic compounds

Abstract

Carbon dioxide is an appealing renewable feedstock for industrial chemical processes. This does not mean, however, that all chemical processes using CO₂ are environmentally-friendly. Perspectives on the sustainability of CO₂ utilization and artificial photosynthesis are provided. The discussions focus on the photocatalytic production of C_x (x ≥ 2) compounds, where all the carbon in the products is derived from CO₂. This area of research, while promising, has received far less attention than analogous systems leading to C₁ products.