This review provides an overview on the recent research progress in the photocatalytic methane conversion to syngas and chemicals including photocatalytic reforming, photocatalytic partial oxidation and photocatalytic coupling of methane.

Abstract

As a primary constituent of natural gas and shale gas, direct conversion of methane has attracted significant attention due to its potential to reduce energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. Compared with thermal catalysis, photocatalysis has the capacity to transcend thermodynamic constraint and enable the conversion of sustainable solar energy into chemical energy under mild reaction condition, which contributes to optimize the utilization of methane. In this review, we undertake a comparative analysis of various strategies for photocatalytic methane conversion to syngas and chemicals, including photocatalytic reforming of methane, photocatalytic partial oxidation of methane and photocatalytic coupling of methane. The distinct reaction systems with corresponding catalysts and underlying mechanisms are expounded in detail to foster a profound comprehension of solar-driven methane conversion. Finally, the challenges and prospectives in photocatalytic methane conversion are discussed.