Solar driven CO2 reduction: from materials to devices

Abstract

Solar driven CO₂ reduction for the production of fuels and chemicals is a promising technology for achieving carbon neutrality. Photocatalytic CO₂ reduction, photoelectrochemical CO₂ reduction and photovoltaic-electrochemical CO₂ reduction, are three main approaches for solar driven CO₂ reduction that have attracted a lot of interest in both the academic and industrial communities. However, in spite of the decades of work that have been devoted to this research area, low solar to fuel efficiency, poor product selectivity and unsatisfactory stability continue to impede the application of these three technologies. Herein, we summarize the recent advances in photo-absorbers, catalysts and device designs for solar driven CO₂ reduction and have identified the following requirements that are essential for realizing a highly efficient solar driven CO₂ reduction system: optimized photo-absorbers, tailored catalysts, well-designed devices and the synergistic operation of these three parts. In addition, we provide perspectives for the future development of the solar driven CO₂ reduction field.