Development of hybrid photocatalysts constructed with a metal complex and graphitic carbon nitride for visible-light-driven CO reduction.

Photocatalytic CO reduction with visible light has long been studied as a potential means to address the problems of global warming and the depletion of fossil fuels. Hybrid systems that consist of a metal complex and a particulate semiconductor are expected to be promising because of the excellent electrochemical (and/or photocatalytic) ability of metal complexes for CO reduction and the high efficiency of semiconductors for water oxidation. However, a satisfactory system has not been developed to date. Our group has been developing such hybrid materials for visible-light-driven CO reduction. This Perspective highlights our recent progress in the development of metal-complex/semiconductor hybrid materials for photocatalytic CO reduction with a focus on graphitic carbon nitride as the semiconductor component.