Catalyzing a cleaner future: recent advancement in photocatalytic conversion for CO₂-to-solar fuels

Photocatalytic CO₂ conversion represents a groundbreaking approach to addressing two of the most pressing global challenges: mitigating CO₂ emissions and producing sustainable fuels. This review article provides an in-depth summary of the achievements made in the last five years to enhance the efficiency and selectivity of CO₂ photoreduction typically on photocatalytic materials (not including organic molecules or coordination compounds), with specific focus on producing high-value hydrocarbon fuels including methanol, ethanol, ethene, and ethane. Specific strategies for promotion of CO₂ photoconversion performance were discussed, including (1) regulation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces of photocatalytic materials, (2) construction of heterojunctions; (3) dual-site engineering, (4) design of asymmetric structures; (5) doping; (6) creation of single-atom catalysis systems; (7) vacancy engineering; (8) loading of cocatalysts; (9) surface reconstruction; and (10) modulation of Cu valence states in typical photocatalytic materials. Finally, challenges and perspectives are also presented, including challenges of low efficiency, poor selectivity, and catalyst stability under realistic conditions, along with future perspectives focusing on developing highly active, selective, and durable catalysts through advanced materials engineering and optimized reaction environments.