Closing the carbon loop, through CO₂ capture and utilization, is a promising route to mitigate climate change. Solar energy is a sustainable energy source which can be exploited to drive catalytic reactions for utilizing CO₂, including converting the CO₂ into useful products. Solar energy can be harnessed through a range of different pathways to valorize CO₂. Whilst using solar energy to drive CO₂ reduction has vast potential to promote catalytic CO₂ conversions, the progress is limited due to the lack of understanding of property-performance relations as well as feasible material engineering approaches. Herein, we outline the various driving forces involved in photothermal CO₂ catalysis. The heat from solar energy can be utilized to induce CO₂ catalytic reduction reactions via the photothermal effect. Further, solar energy can act to modify reaction pathways through light-matter interactions. Light-induced chemical functions have demonstrated the ability to regulate intermediary reaction steps, and thus control the reaction selectivity. Photothermal catalyst structures and specific catalyst design strategies are discussed in this context. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the heat-light synergy and guidance for rational photothermal catalyst design for CO₂ utilization.

通过捕获和利用CO _2来封闭碳循环，是缓解气候变化的有希望的途径。太阳能是一种可持续的能源，可以利用它来驱动催化反应以利用CO ₂，包括将CO ₂转化为有用的产品。可以通过一系列不同的途径来利用太阳能来使CO ₂增值。尽管利用太阳能来驱动CO ₂还原具有巨大的潜力来促进催化性CO ₂转化，但是由于缺乏对性能-性能关系的理解以及可行的材料工程方法，因此进展有限。在此，我们概述了光热CO中涉及的各种驱动力₂催化。太阳能产生的热量可通过光热效应用于诱导CO ₂催化还原反应。此外，太阳能可以通过光-物质相互作用来改变反应路径。光诱导的化学功能已证明能够调节中间反应步骤，从而控制反应选择性。在本文中讨论了光热催化剂的结构和特定的催化剂设计策略。这篇综述提供了对热光协同作用的全面理解，并为合理利用CO _2的光热催化剂设计提供了指导。