Role of Nitrides in Hydrogen Production and CO2 Reduction

The amplified upsurge of carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere, surpassing 400 parts per million (ppm), increases the need for CO₂ reduction processes. The process of artificial photosynthesis towards solar energy harvesting and its conversion to chemical fuels (e.g. hydrogen, methane, or methanol) are expedient in powering tomorrow’s energy economy. To realize artificial photosynthesis, materials have a key role to play. In this direction, a varsity of materials including oxides, carbides, sulphides, nitrides, etc. have been investigated to achieve desired efficacy and efficiency. This chapter in particular highlights the advances made over nitrides for both solar hydrogen production and CO₂ fixation. An overview of properties (defect engineering, band-edge straddling, hot electron injection, etc.) of nitride materials’ involvement in these processes is also presented and discussed.