Low-Dimensional Semiconductors in Artificial Photosynthesis: An Outlook for the Interactions between Particles/Quasiparticles.

By virtue of their intriguing electronic structures and excellent surface properties, low-dimensional semiconductors hold great promise in the field of solar-driven artificial photosynthesis. However, owing to promoted structural confinement and reduced Coulomb screening, remarkable interactions between particles/quasiparticles, including electrons, holes, phonons, and excitons, can be expected in low-dimensional semiconductors, which endow the systems with distinctive excited-state properties that are distinctly different from those in the bulk counterparts. Consequently, these interactions determine not only the mechanisms but also quantum yields of photosynthetic energy utilization. In this Outlook, we review recent advances in studying the unique interactions in low-dimensional semiconductor-based photocatalysts. By highlighting the relevance of different interactions to excited-state properties, we describe the impacts of the interactions on photosynthetic energy conversion. Furthermore, we summarize the regulation of these interactions for gaining optimized photosynthetic behaviors, where the relationships between these interactions and structural factors/external fields are elaborated. Additionally, the challenges and opportunities in studying the interaction-related photosynthesis are discussed.