With the rapid increase of methanol reservoirs, catalytic transformation of methanol into value-added chemicals is receiving ever increasing attention. Conventional thermocatalysis enables the production of an array of chemicals from methanol conversion, but high temperatures and high pressures with intensive energy input are generally required. Moreover, the harsh conditions of thermocatalysis preferentially accelerate the cleavage of C−O and O−H bonds instead of C−H bonds in methanol, mainly producing hydrocarbons, olefins or dimethyl ether. The direct C−C coupling products such as ethylene glycol via C−H activation cannot be readily obtained. Because photocatalysis utilizes solar energy to drive the reaction, the photocatalytic conversion of methanol not only can be performed at room temperatures and atmospheric pressures, but can also provide very different product distribution from thermocatalysis due to its radical mechanism. Thus, much effort has been devoted to the photocatalytic transformation of methanol in the past decade. Herein, we highlighted the recent advances in the development of photo-catalysts for the synthesis of ethylene glycol, ethanol, formaldehyde, 1,1-dimethoxymethane and methyl formate. Emphasis is put on the reaction mechanism of typical catalysts and the key factors that affect the catalytic performances. The challenges and opportunities of methanol conversion are also presented.

随着甲醇储量的迅速增加，将甲醇催化转化为增值化学品正受到越来越多的关注。传统的热催化可以通过甲醇转化生产一系列化学品，但通常需要高温高压和大量能量输入。此外，热催化的苛刻条件优先加速甲醇中C-O和O-H键的裂解，而不是C-H键，主要产生烃、烯烃或二甲醚。乙二醇等直接 C−C 偶联产物通过C-H 激活不容易获得。由于光催化利用太阳能来驱动反应，甲醇的光催化转化不仅可以在室温和大气压下进行，而且由于其自由基机理，还可以提供与热催化截然不同的产物分布。因此，在过去的十年中，人们致力于甲醇的光催化转化。在此，我们重点介绍了用于合成乙二醇、乙醇、甲醛、1,1-二甲氧基甲烷和甲酸甲酯的光催化剂开发的最新进展。重点介绍了典型催化剂的反应机理和影响催化性能的关键因素。还介绍了甲醇转化的挑战和机遇。