One-dimensional copper-based heterostructures toward photo-driven reduction of CO2 to sustainable fuels and feedstocks

Abstract

The current rapid industrial development causes both a heavy reliance on non-renewable energy and a dramatic increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration, which in turn lead to severe energy and environmental crises. Utilizing the abundant solar energy to convert CO₂ into usable or storable energy resources is considered to be a promising strategy to reverse the preceding challenges. Among studied formulations, earth-abundant one-dimensional (1D) copper-based photocatalysts, such as copper oxide, cuprous oxide and cuprous sulfide, featuring efficient visible light harvesting, facile CO₂ adsorption and directional long-distance electron transfer assisted by the high length-to-diameter ratio of the 1D geometry, are ideal platforms to support suitable co-catalysts for the construction of various 1D copper-based heterostructures for CO₂ photoreduction with enhanced photoactivity and photostability. This review will concisely recap the recent progress in synthetic preparation of different 1D copper-based nanomaterials with controllable structure, interface and morphology, particularly highlighting the application of 1D copped-based heterostructures for CO₂ photoreduction via different mechanisms (e.g., controllable band alignments and multi-step electron flow) to value-added chemicals and fuels. Finally, some personal perspectives into future directions and challenges on rational design of highly efficient 1D copper-based composite materials for artificial CO₂ reduction are presented, and are expected to promote the rapid progress of this dynamic research area.