Carbon-based nanostructures for emerging photocatalysis: CO2 reduction, N2 fixation, and organic conversion

The quest for carbon neutrality has become a major component of global climate governance. Significant efforts are focusing on alternative energy technologies to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels. Heterogeneous photocatalysis is con-sidered promising as a green and sustainable technology to address important energy and environmental challenges. Due to their low cost and unique elec-tronic and optical properties, carbon materials (including graphene, carbon nanotubes, carbon quantum dots, and carbon nitride) have been studied exten-sively as photocatalysts. In this review, we highlight the state-of-the-art of carbon-based nanomaterials used in emerging photocatalytic applications such as the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), N2 fixation reaction (NFR), and organic synthesis reaction (OSR).

Automated summary

The quest for carbon neutrality has become a major component of global climate governance, with significant efforts on heterogeneous photocatalysis using carbon-based nanomaterials. This review highlights the state-of-the-art of such materials in emerging photocatalytic applications.