Semiconductor Nanocatalysts for CO2 Photoconversion Giving Organic Compounds: Design and Physicochemical Characteristics: A Review

A summary and analysis are offered for the data available in the literature as well as the results of our own research on photocatalytic reduction processes on various semiconductor catalysts. A number of approaches are examined for the improvement of semiconductor catalysts, in particular, through alteration of morphology, increasing the amount of surface defects, doping by metal and nonmetallic ions, sensitization with dyes or narrow-gap semiconductors modified with metallic or bimetallic nanoparticles, formation of nanoheterostructures with allotropic carbon modifications, and use of the plasmon photocatalysis effect. Mechanisms for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 are discussed.