Research Progress of Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction Based on Two-dimensional Materials

Abstract

In past decades, global warming, sea level rising, and other climate problems caused by greenhouse effect are becoming more and more serious. Considerable efforts have been paid on developing new technology that can effectively reduce the atmospheric level of carbon dioxide (CO2), the most representative one of greenhouse gases. Solar-driven conversion of CO2 into high value-added hydrocarbon fuels is considered as the most promising approach to alleviate the current energy crisis and the rising CO2 level. Benefiting from their high specific surface area and novel electronic structures, two dimensional (2D) materials have drawn intense interest in the field of CO2 photoreduction. Herein, the latest development of 2D materials for photocatalytic CO2 reduction is presented, with special emphasis given to the structure-activity relationship in catalytic reactions. The potentials of newly emerged 2D materials including black phosphorus, graphdiyne and covalent organic frameworks as the next generation photocatalysts for CO2 reduction are then discussed. Finally, the opportunities and challenges in the field of CO2photoreduction are featured on the basis of its current development.