Artificial photosynthesis: semiconductor photocatalytic fixation of CO_2 to afford higher organic compounds

Abstract

Carbon dioxide is an appealing renewable feedstock for industrial chemical processes. This does not mean, however, that all chemical processes using CO_2 are environmentally-friendly. Perspectives on the sustainability of CO_2 utilization and artificial photosynthesis are provided. The discussions focus on the photocatalytic production of C_x (x ≥ 2) compounds, where all the carbon in the products is derived from CO_2. This area of research, while promising, has received far less attention than analogous systems leading to C_1 products.

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