Solar-driven CO 2 photoreduction is attractive to produce usable fuels and valueadded chemicals. However, conventional strategies suffer from low activity and/or expense of sacrificial reagents. Here, the first example of CO 2 reduction to CO integrated with an oxidative organic synthesis of 1-phenylethanol to pinacols under solar light is reported. This strategy, making full utilization of photogenerated electrons and holes in redox reactions, provides the exact answer toward cost-effective CO 2 photoreduction.

The protocol of artificial photosynthesis using semiconductor nanocrystals shines light on green, facile and low-cost small molecule activation to produce solar fuels and value-added chemicals.