Standalone solar carbon dioxide conversion without the use of any external energy is a primary goal of solar carbon-based fuel production. So far, researchers have performed many staged studies, for example, on the independent oxygen evolution reaction and CO₂ reduction reaction, to focus on these key steps and strengthen specific characteristics, including photoresponse, energy carrier separation, and transfer. Noteworthy performance has been obtained for almost every stage. However, recent pioneering works have demonstrated that staged research cannot always be easily pieced together. Here, recent advances in standalone systems are collected and reviewed. We focus on the critical assessment of the key components requiring improvement. In addition, the opportunities for hybrid systems of photocatalysts with photothermocatalysts and photovoltaics with electrocatalysts are assessed. This review aims to discuss the direction of standalone solar carbon fuel production and potential knowledge transfer to intersecting fields.

不使用任何外部能源的独立的太阳能二氧化碳转化是太阳能碳基燃料生产的主要目标。到目前为止，研究人员已经进行了许多分阶段的研究，例如关于独立的氧气释放反应和CO ₂还原反应，着重于这些关键步骤并增强特定特征，包括光响应，能量载体分离和转移。几乎每个阶段都获得了值得注意的性能。但是，最近的开创性研究表明，分阶段进行的研究并不总是可以轻松地拼凑在一起的。在此，收集并回顾了独立系统的最新进展。我们专注于对需要改进的关键组件的关键评估。此外，评估了光催化剂与光热催化剂和光伏与电催化剂混合系统的机会。这篇综述旨在讨论独立的太阳能碳燃料生产的方向以及潜在知识向相交领域的转移。