Research Progress on Metal-Based Materials in Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction

The photocatalytic reduction of CO2 into value-added chemicals is regarded as a vital approach to alleviate the environmental and energy crises. Photocatalytic technology is more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly compared to electrochemical, thermochemical, and other technologies, offering broad application prospects. Therefore, it is crucial to select high-performance photocatalytic materials. Metal compounds stand out in the field of photocatalysis due to their tunable band structures abundant active sites and excellent chemical stability. This review systematically summarizes the latest progress of metal-based materials, including metal oxides such as TiO2, CuO, Cu2O, WO3, as well as metal sulfides, metal phosphides, and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), focusing on the mechanisms of strategies such as crystal engineering, heterojunction construction, and defect engineering in enhancing photocatalytic performance. Finally, it discusses the prospects and challenges of photocatalytic CO2 reduction technology, aiming to provide theoretical references for the development of ideal and efficient photocatalytic systems, contributing to the achievement of carbon neutrality goals.