Advances in the design of plasmonic photocatalysts for enhanced photocatalytic CO2 reduction

Abstract

CO2 reduction into high chemical value products via photocatalysts is one of the promising approaches to cope with the growing energy challenges and environmental problems. Among various photocatalysts, plasmonic photocatalysts have attracted much attention because of their unique surface plasmon resonance effect. In this review, we first introduce the fundamentals of surface plasmon resonance effect of plasmonic photocatalysts. Subsequently, a series of photocatalysts including noble plasmonic metal-based (Au and Ag) and non-noble plasmonic metal-based photocatalysts (Cu, Bi and metal oxides) used for photocatalytic CO2 reduction are discussed. Meanwhile, the design strategies of morphology and structures, including facet control, construction of multilevel structures, defect engineering and bio-inspired structures for enhancing plasmonic photocatalyst properties are presented. Finally, a summary and perspectives for plasmonic photocatalysts are put forward. This work provides reference significance for further development of plasmonic photocatalysts for photocatalytic CO2 reduction.