《EES Solar》: How to Design Active Sites for Tailoring C₁ and C₂ Products of CO₂ Photoreduction

Peijin Du,⁺ Suning Zhang,⁺ Jinyu Ding,⁺ Dongpo He, Qinyuan Hu, Xingchen Jiao,* and Yi Xie*

In photocatalytic CO₂ reduction, it generally involves three fundamental stages: the light absorption , the charge carriers separation, and the redox reactions occurring on the surface. Adjusting these processes to optimize the activity and selectivity of CO₂ photoreduction for C₁ and C₂ products has proven to be an effective strategy. In this review, we summarize the design of active sites through various structural modifications, including defect structure, metal doping structure, heterojunction structure, alloy structure, loading structure, and composite structure, to tailor the product selectivity and activity of CO₂ photoreduction. Additionally, we provide a concise overview and outlooks on strategies for stabilizing active sites, constructing bio-inorganic systems, and elucidating catalytic mechanisms.

Figure 1. Schematic illustrations of various strategies for active site designing C₁ and C₂ products during CO₂ photoreduction process.