Shedding light on CO2: Catalytic synthesis of solar methanol

Abstract

Abstract The ever‐increasing carbon footprint has resulted in significant environmental impacts. The solar‐driven conversion of CO2 to methanol is an effective solution to the global energy shortage and the current greenhouse gas issue. This critical review presents a comprehensive overview of the recent research progress in the solar‐driven catalytic synthesis of methanol from CO2 and briefly outlines the relationships among the traditional photocatalysis, photoelectrocatalysis, and photothermal catalysis. The unique strategies for the design of catalysts are summarized and discussed. Finally, this review emphasizes the crucial issues that should be addressed in the field of photocatalysis.

Keywords

• methanol
• photocatalysis
• photothermal catalysis
• solar fuels