Recent research progress in photocatalytic reduction of CO2 using g-C3N4-based heterostructures
Feilong Ren, Zhen Sun, Tao Ma, Hao Zhang, Wei Meng, Shuai Chen
Abstract
Photocatalytic technology is capable of converting CO 2 into valuable hydrocarbons, providing a new way to solve the problems of fossil fuel shortage and global warming. However, conventional semiconductor photocatalysts are limited by the small specific surface area and insufficient CO 2 adsorption capacity. g-C 3 N 4 has attracted much attention due to its non-toxicity, high stability and low-cost. Although the photocatalytic efficiency of pure g-C 3 N 4 is constrained by the fast complexation of photogenerated electron/hole pairs, small surface area and insufficient light absorption, the charge separation, surface area and light absorption of g-C 3 N 4 can be significantly enhanced by forming heterostructure with large bandgap semiconductor. Such g-C 3 N 4 -based heterostructures include semiconductor-supported, carbon material-supported, non-metal-supported and metal-organic frameworks-supported, which show great potential in CO 2 photoconversion. However, modified g-C 3 N 4 -based heterostructures still face challenges and require innovation on research and design. So, this review emphasizes the importance of g-C 3 N 4 -based heterostructures in environmentally friendly and sustainable approach to CO 2 reduction.