A Minireview on the Role of Cocatalysts in Semiconductor-Based Photocatalytic CH<sub>4</sub> Conversion
Zili Ma, Yihong Chen, Chao Gao, Yujie Xiong
Abstract
Converting earth-abundant CH4 to value-added feedstocks for chemical industry is an intriguing approach for utilization of carbon resource. However, the high inertness of CH4 makes its catalytic conversion one of the holy grails and suffers from intense energy consumption in a traditional conversion process. The recently developed semiconductor-based photocatalytic processes operated at mild conditions shine light on the way to achieve efficient CH4 conversion driven by only clean solar energy. In this review, we discuss the advancements in semiconductor-based photocatalytic CH4 conversion and highlight the roles of cocatalysts, which are the key components in hybrid photocatalysts, in augmenting catalytic performance. Furthermore, the future research efforts on cocatalysts are proposed for promoting photocatalytic CH4 conversion.