Recent advances in the photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to fuels with water and/or hydrogen using solar energy and beyond

Coordination Chemistry Reviews, Volume 257, Issue 1, 1 January 2013, Pages 171–186
Recent advances in the photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to fuels with water and/or hydrogen using solar energy and beyond
Yasuo Izumi
Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, Yayoi 1-33, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
Abstract
An attractive option for simultaneously capturing carbon dioxide and solving the shortage of sustainable energy is photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to fuels using solar energy. Authors review efforts to demonstrate the photocatalytic reduction of CO₂.
Although the photocatalytic results depended on reaction conditions, including such things as the incident/absorbing light intensity from the sun or a simulated solar light source, the performance of different systems is compared. When the reactants included CO₂ and water, it was necessary to determine whether the products were derived from CO₂ and not from impurities that accumulated on or in the catalysts as a result of washing, calcination, or pretreatment in a moist environment. Isotope labeling of ¹³CO₂ was effective for this evaluation using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS). Comparisons are limited to reports in which the reaction route was verified spectroscopically, the C source was traced isotopically, or sufficient kinetic analyses were performed to verify the photocatalytic events.
Based on results obtained to date, it is apparent that the practical use of the photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ as one possible solution for global warming and the world's energy problems requires the development of more efficient photocatalysts.
Full Text Source (Subscription or Fee): http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010854512001002