Recent Advances in Covalent Organic Framework for Selective Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2

Abstract

Photocatalytic transformation of CO₂ into clean fuels and chemicals is a promising solution to address both the energy dilemma and environmental issues. Recent years have seen several efforts to improve the effectiveness and selectivity of CO₂ conversion by creating photocatalysts and reduction devices. An alternative to fossil fuels is urgently needed to address the rising energy demand and pollution. Porous heterogeneous catalysts are gaining popularity for carbon capture, with recent breakthroughs in design and application for CO₂ conversion. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are porous crystalline polymeric materials made up of organic module units held together by strong covalent connections. COFs have numerous applications, including adsorption and separation, detection, catalysis, optoelectronic components, energy storage, and mass transport, due to their low density, massive specific surface area, superior thermal stability, developed pore structure, long-range sequence, good crystallinity, and excellent tunability of monomer units. In this review, we discuss the synthetic process, morphology, and linkage of COFs. We also elaborate the types of activations for CO₂, that is, thermal, electrocatalytic, and photocatalytic activation. Finally, we discuss the application of COFs for conversion of CO₂ to value added product (VAC).