Plasmonic Metals and Semiconductor Supports for Photothermal CO2 Reforming of Methane: Recent Advances, Mechanistic Insights, and Future Opportunities.

Photothermal dry reforming of methane (DRM) has emerged as a promising strategy for simultaneously mitigating the greenhouse effect and valorizing carbon resources by converting CH4 and CO2 into syngas under solar irradiation. In photothermal DRM systems, photons not only induce localized heating but also generate energetic charge carriers that actively participate in CH4 and CO2 activation, enabling reaction pathways inaccessible under purely thermal conditions and promoting catalysis under nonequilibrium regimes. In this review, we first systematically examine the fundamental mechanisms underpinning photothermal DRM. We then summarize recent advances in photothermal DRM catalysts, encompassing plasmonic metals, and metal-semiconductor hybrids, with an emphasis on structure-activity-stability relationships. Finally, we discuss key challenges and future opportunities in mechanistic understanding, catalyst design, and reactor integration, aiming to provide guiding principles for the rational development of efficient and durable solar-driven DRM technologies.