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  • Review Article
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Methane transformation by photocatalysis

Nature Reviews Materials volume 7, pages 617–632 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

Methane hydrate and shale gas are predicted to have substantial reserves, far beyond the sum of other fossil fuels. Using methane instead of crude oil as a building block is, thus, a very attractive strategy for synthesizing valuable chemicals. Because methane is so inert, its direct conversion needs a high activation energy and typically requires harsh reaction conditions or strong oxidants. Photocatalysis, which employs photons operated under very mild conditions, is a promising technology to reduce the thermodynamic barrier in direct methane conversion and to avoid the common issues of overoxidation and catalyst deactivation. In this Review, we cover the development of photocatalysts and co-catalysts, including the use of inorganic materials and polymeric semiconductors, and explain how the use of batch or flow reaction systems affects the reaction kinetics and product selectivity. We also discuss efforts to understand the underlying reaction mechanisms from both a photophysical and a chemical perspective. Finally, we present our view of the challenges facing this field and suggest potential solutions.

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Fig. 1: The fundamentals of photocatalysis and methane conversion.
Fig. 2: Key developments in photocatalytic methane conversion.
Fig. 3: Representative reaction systems in photocatalytic methane conversion.
Fig. 4: Complementary time-resolved spectroscopies to probe photophysical and photochemical processes in photocatalysts.

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Acknowledgements

All authors are thankful for financial support from the UK EPSRC (EP/N009533/1 and EP/S018204/2), the Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2017-122) and the Royal Society Newton Advanced Fellowship grant (NAF\R1\191163 and NA170422). X.L. acknowledges a UCL PhD studentship (GRS and ORS). They are also grateful for graphic design and embellishment of pictures by Z. Wu.

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London, UK

    Xiyi Li, Chao Wang & Junwang Tang

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  2. Chao Wang
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J.T. conceived and supervised the progress of the entire project. X.L. drafted and revised the majority of the paper. C.W. participated in drafting and revising the article, mainly the part of material development. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Junwang Tang.

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Li, X., Wang, C. & Tang, J. Methane transformation by photocatalysis. Nat Rev Mater 7, 617–632 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-022-00422-3

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