Layered Double Hydroxide Engineering for the Photocatalytic Conversion of Inactive Carbon and Nitrogen Molecules

Energy and environmental issues are becoming pressing challenges today, and photocatalysis is receiving increasing attention due to its green and sustainable features in this context. Photocatalytic conversion of inactive carbon and nitrogen molecules aims at producing value-added hydrocarbons and ammonia products using earth-abundant materials with solar energy as the clean energy input. However, photocatalytic materials still suffer from limited light absorption, severe charge carrier recombination, and poor activation for inactive molecules, leading to low reaction rates and uncontrolled selectivity that significantly hinder the spread of their practical application. This article highlights the material engineering of layered double hydroxide (LDH) as one important photocatalyst for activating carbon and nitrogen molecules. We summarize four strategies that have been developed in our recent studies: (1) oxygen vacancy manufacturing, (2) elemental doping, (3) chemical etching, and (4) topological transformation. Furthermore, the activation and selective conversion of CO, CO2, and N2 into multicarbon hydrocarbons and ammonia products over LDH nanomaterials are presented. This perspective intends to provide a reference for the design of LDH-based photo(thermal) catalysts in modulating the reaction activity and product selectivity, thus promoting the development of practical photocatalysis applications.