Photocatalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide on TiO2 Heterojunction Photocatalysts—A Review

Abstract

The photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to renewable fuel or other valuable chemicals using solar energy is attracting the interest of researchers because of its great potential to offer a clean fuel alternative and solve global warming problems. Unfortunately, the efficiency of CO2 photocatalytic reduction remains not very high due to the fast recombination of photogenerated electron–hole and small light utilization. Consequently, tremendous efforts have been made to solve these problems, and one possible solution is the use of heterojunction photocatalysts. This review begins with the fundamental aspects of CO2 photocatalytic reduction and the fundamental principles of various heterojunction photocatalysts. In the following part, we discuss using TiO2 heterojunction photocatalysts with other semiconductors, such as C3N4, CeO2, CuO, CdS, MoS2, GaP, CaTiO3 and FeTiO3. Finally, a concise summary and presentation of perspectives in the field of heterojunction photocatalysts are provided. The review covers references in the years 2011–2021.

Synthesis of Fe-TiO2 and Cu-TiO2 Based Materials by Olive Leaves Biotemplating—Application to Hydrogen Production from Glycerol Photoreforming

“…The improvement of photocatalytic activity in hydrogen production from glycerol reforming with these new photocatalysts is not the only applicability of the catalysts. They could be used in CO 2 reduction [ 58 , 59 ], decontamination of water from oxygenated organic compounds [ 59 , 60 ], dyes [ 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 ], among other photocatalytic applications [ 63 , 65 , 66 ].…”

Spectroscopic and Spectroelectrochemical Studies on Redox Properties of Zinc Sulfide and Their Consequences on Photocatalytic Activity

“…These values are in the lower limits of the reported potentials. , Moreover, it is possible to estimate the potential values of two groups of states localized above the valence band edge, at 1.3 and 1.6 V vs SHE, respectively. The energy of electrons, excited to both CB and electron traps, is apparently not sufficient to reduce CO 2 to CO 2 •– radical (reported to be −1.9 V vs SHE , ) but should still facilitate its multielectron reduction, as well as hydrogen evolution. Previously, we have reported CO 2 •– radical formation at irradiated ZnS (confirmed by EPR spectroscopy); therefore, we postulate that this one-electron reaction should be possible also under milder conditions (potentials higher than −1.9 V).…”

“…•− radical (reported to be −1.9 V vs SHE 44,45 ) but should still facilitate its multielectron reduction, as well as hydrogen evolution. Previously, we have reported CO 2 •− radical formation at irradiated ZnS (confirmed by EPR spectroscopy); 46 therefore, we postulate that this one-electron reaction should be possible also under milder conditions (potentials higher than −1.9 V).…”

Effect of Thermal Treatment of Symmetric TiO2 Nanotube Arrays in Argon on Photocatalytic CO2 Conversion

“…We can assume tw It can be noted that the yield of methane and methanol in the helium stream for all samples under investigation is not much different, which can indicate that the carbon on the surface of the material is not converted into organic compounds. Methane and methanol are common CO 2 conversion products for TiO 2 -based photocatalysts [4]. As can be seen, the greatest photocatalytic activity exhibits the sample Arg 550, but after 120 min of the CO 2 injection in the reaction the rate of photoconversion critically decreases.…”

“…Photocatalytic conversion of CO 2 to hydrocarbon fuel precursors may be one approach to the transition to carbon neutrality energy [2,3]. TiO 2 -based photocatalysts have attracted much attention for the CO 2 conversion process because of their chemical and photocorrosion stability, and also low cost [4][5][6]. Symmetric titania nanotube arrays (TiO 2 NTs) are a well-known photocorrosion-resistant nanomaterial for use in photocatalytic processes due to their high specific surface area and suitable band edge potentials [7,8].…”