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Zhong, J. CO2 Photoreduction. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60205 (accessed on 05 October 2026).
Zhong J. CO2 Photoreduction. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60205. Accessed October 05, 2026.
Zhong, Jack. "CO2 Photoreduction" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60205 (accessed October 05, 2026).
Zhong, J. (2026, September 22). CO2 Photoreduction. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60205
Zhong, Jack. "CO2 Photoreduction." Encyclopedia. Web. 22 September, 2026.
CO2 Photoreduction
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CO2 photoreduction is the light-driven conversion of carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide, formate, methanol, methane or longer hydrocarbons, using a semiconductor photocatalyst that absorbs photons and delivers electrons and holes to surface sites [1]. The reaction competes with hydrogen evolution when water is the electron donor, and the product distribution is set by the binding energies of the adsorbed intermediates, so selectivity varies strongly between catalysts and between reaction media [2]. Most studies employ aqueous suspensions of TiO2, other metal oxides, metal sulfides, graphitic carbon nitride or metal-organic frameworks, often with a metal or oxide cocatalyst that separates charge and provides the active site; rates for a laboratory photocatalyst are typically on the order of micromoles of product per gram per hour, with apparent quantum yields usually below a few percent [3]. Because a single photon supplies about 1.8-3.2 eV while the overall reduction of CO2 to methane requires eight electrons and eight protons, at least the corresponding number of photons is needed per molecule, which caps the attainable solar-to-fuel efficiency [2]. Reaction conditions also matter: the CO2 concentration, the amount of water vapour, the pH and the light intensity all shift both the rate and the product ratio [4]. Stability, and the difficulty of comparing results obtained under different illumination and reactor geometries, remain open problems, and standardised reporting of rates, quantum yields and control experiments is still an active issue [5].

photocatalysis carbon dioxide reduction solar fuel cocatalyst quantum yield metal-organic framework selectivity

References

  1. Habisreutinger, S.N.; Schmidt-Mende, L.; Stolarczyk, J.K. Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2 on TiO2 and Other Semiconductors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2013, 52, 7372-7408. [CrossRef]
  2. Peng, C.; Reid, G.; Wang, H.; Hu, P. Perspective: Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to solar fuels over semiconductors. The Journal of Chemical Physics 2017, 147, 030901. [CrossRef]
  3. You, J.; Xiao, M.; Wang, Z.; Wang, L. Non-noble metal-based cocatalysts for photocatalytic CO2 reduction. Journal of CO2 Utilization 2022, 55, 101817. [CrossRef]
  4. Verma, P.; Stewart, D.J.; Raja, R. Recent Advances in Photocatalytic CO2 Utilisation Over Multifunctional Metal-Organic Frameworks. Catalysts 2020, 10, 1176. [CrossRef]
  5. Cardoso, W.; Degerli, S.N.; Taghavi, S.; Menegazzo, F.; Signoretto, M.; Ramis, G.; Rossetti, I. Catalyst Design for Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction: Recent Advances, Challenges, and Future Perspectives. Catalysts 2026, 16, 643. [CrossRef]
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