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Published on: April 22, 2016
Metal-Complex/Semiconductor Hybrid Photocatalysts and Photoelectrodes for CO2 Reduction Driven by Visible Light
1School of Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-NE-2 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan.
Abstract:
CO2 reduction to carbon feedstocks using heterogeneous photocatalysts is an attractive means of addressing both climate change and the depletion of fossil fuels. Of particular importance is the development of a photosystem capable of functioning in response to visible light, which accounts for the majority of the solar spectrum, representing a kind of artificial photosynthesis. Hybrid systems comprising a metal complex and a semiconductor are promising because of the excellent electrochemical (and/or photocatalytic) activity of metal complexes during CO2 reduction and the ability of semiconductors to efficiently oxidize water to molecular O2 . Here, the development of hybrid photocatalysts and photoelectrodes for CO2 reduction in combination with water oxidation is described.
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