Photodriven CO 2 Reduction Assisted by Surface Plasmon Resonance of Nanometals

Abstract

Photocatalytic conversion of CO 2 to hydrocarbon fuel is of great significance in solving both energy and environmental issues. However, the reaction remains very inefficient due to the kinetic limitations of multiple e − / H ＋ transfer processes and the limited abilities of traditional semiconductors to activate thermodynamically stable CO 2 molecules. A more flexible utilization strategy of solar energy beyond the conventional framework of photocatalysis is needed for realizing a highly efficient CO 2 conversion. In this article, we introduce our recent works on surface-plasmon-enhanced photodriven CO 2 reduction, and discuss how to take the advantages of the unique functions of nanometals in different types of catalytic processes to improve the efficiency of solar-energy utilization for more practical artificial photosynthesis.