Metal-Complex/Semiconductor Hybrid Photocatalysts and Photoelectrodes for CO2 Reduction Driven by Visible Light

CO2 reduction to carbon feedstocks using heterogeneous photocatalysts is an attractive means of addressing both climate change and the depletion of fossil fuels. Of particular importance is the development of a photosystem capable of functioning in response to visible light, which accounts for the majority of the solar spectrum, representing a kind of artificial photosynthesis. Hybrid systems comprising a metal complex and a semiconductor are promising because of the excellent electrochemical (and/or photocatalytic) activity of metal complexes during CO2 reduction and the ability of semiconductors to efficiently oxidize water to molecular O-2. Here, the development of hybrid photocatalysts and photoelectrodes for CO2 reduction in combination with water oxidation is described.