Progress and future of CO2 conversion based on plasma catalysis

To address the issues of the greenhouse effect and energy dilemma, it is a global hot topic on converting CO₂ to valuable chemicals and useable fuels. In this review, firstly, we shortly summarize different CO₂ conversion methods including thermal catalysis, biocatalysis, electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and plasma catalysis. Then, a comprehensive overview of the currently explored plasma driven CO₂ conversion is presented, such as microwave discharge plasma, gliding arc discharge plasma, radiofrequency inductively coupled plasma, and dielectric barrier discharge plasma, with an emphasis on their experimental setups, achievements and limitations. Furthermore, the activation of CO₂ conversion via the synergistic effect between the plasma and photocatalyst is discussed in detail. Finally, the associated challenges and future development trends for plasma catalytic CO₂ conversion are briefly concluded.