Solar-Driven Electrochemical CO2Reduction with Heterogeneous Catalysts

The simultaneous mitigation of CO(2)emissions and direct generation of value-added chemicals has motivated research in solar-driven electrochemical CO(2)reduction. Here, devices incorporating heterogeneous catalysts that operate under bias-free aqueous conditions are categorized and compared, encompassing photoelectrochemical (PEC), photovoltaic-electrochemical (PV-EC), and combined approaches (PV-PEC). The best-performing PEC systems are currently those based on integrated photoelectrodes featuring protective layers. However, the highest overall performances in terms of current density and solar-to-carbon efficiency are exhibited by PV-EC cells that make use of gas-fed flow cell technology. The advantages of individual components in each device type are assessed to provide future directions for research in solar-driven CO(2)reduction.

Automated summary

Research in solar-driven electrochemical CO(2) reduction focuses on devices incorporating heterogeneous catalysts operating under bias-free aqueous conditions, with the best-performing PEC systems featuring integrated photoelectrodes and protective layers while PV-EC cells utilizing gas-fed flow cell technology show the highest overall performances in terms of current density and solar-to-carbon efficiency.