A review of photocatalytic CO2 reduction: exploring sustainable carbon emission mitigation from thermodynamics to kinetics and strategies for enhanced efficiency

To mitigate the increased CO2 emission, CO2 reduction to multi-carbon fuels or other useable substances is an appealing yet essential approach. Since, reduction of CO2 is a thermodynamically uphill process, an economical CO2 fixation is only achievable if energy source used is of renewable energy such as solar energy. Photocatalytic CO2 reduction is a complex process due to its dependency on catalyst design, selectivity, efficiency, and photostability. The competence of a photocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction is effected by factors, such as the type of photocatalyst used their band-gap energy, surface area, and structure of the crystal. This review discusses the kinetics and thermodynamics of photocatalytic CO2 reduction and considers the effects of parameters like defects and impurity doping on photocatalysis. The study also focusses on the selectivity of products, i.e., methane, methanol, formaldehyde, etc. This comprehensive review provides insights into the development and improvement of photocatalytic efficiency for CO2 photoreduction, contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions and a more sustainable future.