Artificial Photosynthesis over Metal Halide Perovskites: Achievements, Challenges, and Prospects

Over the last 5 years, metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have emerged as promising photocatalysts for CO2 reduction because of their extraodinary visible-light-harvesting capabilities and appropriate band structure. However, the CO2 photoreduction activity of pristine MHPs is still unsatisfactory because of the phase instability, serious radiative recombination, and insufficient surface-active sites. This Perspective summarizes the strategies employed in recent studies for enhancing the photocatalytic CO2 reduction performance of MHPs from the standpoint of structure engineering, which includes composition/dimension regulation, surface modification, and heterostructure construction. The relationship between the structure (composition, dimension, and shape) and photocatalytic performance is established, which is instructive for exploiting highly efficient perovskite-based photocatalysts in artificial photosynthesis applications. Further, some important challenges and future prospects of MHPs in this field are proposed and discussed.

Automated summary

Recent studies have employed structural engineering strategies to enhance the photocatalytic CO2 reduction performance of metal halide perovskites (MHPs). By adjusting composition/dimension, surface modification, and heterostructure construction, the relationship between structure and photocatalytic performance has been established, providing guidance for developing efficient perovskite-based photocatalysts in artificial photosynthesis applications.