Photoelectrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide in aqueous suspensions of semiconductor powders

WE report here the photoelectrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to form organic compounds such as formic acid, formaldeyde, methyl alcohol and methane, in the presence of photosensitive semiconductor powders suspended in water as catalysts. Photocatalytic reaction kinetics were elucidated by reference to the theory of charge transfer at photoexcited semiconductors.