Research Progress in Photo functional Materials for Catalytic Carbon Dioxide Reduction Reactions

Abstract

Since the turn of the twenty-first century, the need to find new energy sources to create a low-carbon society has grown urgently due to the ongoing rise in greenhouse gas emissions, which are mostly caused by CO₂. The technique that uses solar energy to convert CO₂ into hydrocarbon fuels can produce high-value hydrocarbon fuels like methane, methanol, formic acid, or C₂₊. This is a promising method of achieving global carbon balance. One of the key elements influencing the process of photocatalytic CO₂ reduction is the presence of materials having photocatalytic properties. Therefore, exploring and developing efficient photocatalytic functional materials is the main direction of research today. This article first introduces the development history of photo-functional materials and analyzes their mechanisms in photocatalytic reactions. Then, different types of optical functional materials were classified and introduced in detail. Finally, the development trend of photo-functional materials in the catalytic reduction of CO₂ was emphasized.