Solar‐Driven Conversion of Methane With Carbon Dioxide: Advances and Prospects

With the growing industrialization and increasing population, greenhouse gas emissions and energy demand are increasing steadily. Among the most significant contributors to global warming and climate change are the increasing atmospheric levels of methane and carbon dioxide. It is therefore environmentally and economically important to develop sustainable technologies that can reduce these greenhouse gases while generating value‐added chemicals. This review focuses on the solar‐driven co‐conversion of CH 4 and CO 2 into fuels and chemicals, including synthetic gases (syngas), hydrocarbons, oxygenates, and other valuable organic compounds. The mechanisms of the reactions, the design patterns of catalysts, and recent developments in photocatalytic systems are critically discussed. Specific attention is given to the role of catalyst structure, active sites, and confinement effects in governing activity, selectivity, and stability. The main problems and challenges to catalyst stability are thoroughly discussed in this study. And finally, the prospective opportunities and still‐persisting challenges related to CO 2 conversion in confined catalytic systems are described, providing insight into how efficient and sustainable solar‐driven processes can be rationally developed.