ABSTRACT
9.1 INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOELECTROCHEMICAL REDUCTION OF CO2
9.1.1 General Introduction
Today, humans are facing three serious problems related to energy resources: shortage of energy, shortage of carbon resources, and the global warming problem. In the biosphere, photosynthesis has been employed for both conversion of CO2 to organics and conversion of solar energy to chemical energy. Oil, coal, and natural gas, which were produced by photosynthesis in ancient times, are finally burnt as both major energy resources and chemical resources. For solving all three of these problems at once, one of the best solutions is the development of practical systems for converting CO2 to useful chemicals using solar light. Research of photochemical and photoelectrochemical (PEC) reduction of CO2 grew rapidly in the past few decades. This was a direct result by growing research from scientists who studied the increasing amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and the global growing demand of fossil fuel.
