On the current status of the mechanistic aspects of photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide

Abstract

Photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide, one of the pathways involved in the carbon dioxide conversion process, has been receiving significant attention from the scientific community in the last four decades. Nevertheless, the mechanism of carbon dioxide reduction is still unclear and the information available is not sufficient for developing it into large scale applications, possibly because of the invariable hurdles associated with the reduction process. The reductive photocatalytic conversion of CO₂ involves all the redox reactions occurring at the interface of the semiconductor such as water splitting, hydrogen evolution, oxygen evolution, photo-oxidation reactions and reactions of radical intermediates. The overall product yield is highly dependent on the extent of these competing reactions. Herein, we discuss our perceptions and current status of the interface reactions and their involvement in the fundamental mechanistic aspects of the photocatalytic conversion of CO₂.