Executive Summary : | Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an abundant, inexpensive and sustainable C1 resource; hence its recycling as a feedstock for producing fuel and valuable chemicals offers a possibility to create a renewable carbon economy. However, the chemical inertness and high thermodynamic stability of the CO2 molecule require extensive energy for its activation, leading to catalyst deactivation as a result of coke formation. On the other hand, light-assisted activation through photocatalysis has enabled the conversion of CO2 to value-added products such as carboxylic acids, amino acids, and heterocyclic compounds under ambient conditions; therefore, visible-light photocatalysis has emerged to be an efficient and promising approach for the CO2 conversion. However, the conventional reaction system for CO2 photoreduction needs pure H2O or sacrificial agents like tertiary amines, making the developed process less efficient and cost-ineffective. Recently, a breakthrough approach in which photocatalytic CO2 valorization integrated with selective organic transformation into one reaction system has become an ideal and efficient modus operandi that enables sufficient utilization of photogenerated electrons and holes to achieve the goals for sustainable economic and social development. This kind of work in which the valorization of CO2 is coupled with the organic synthesis in a single reaction system is in its infancy and needs immediate attention for further development and advancement. Our recent findings on dual photocatalytic reactions involving CO2 reduction coupled with organic synthesis in one reaction system under visible light irradiation at milder conditions encourage us to explore this breakthrough area of research in a focused manner. Therefore, during the proposed study, cost-effective and highly efficient hybrid photocatalysts composed of molecular photo redox complexes immobilized to photoactive semiconductor supports will be designed and developed for the photocatalytic CO2 valorization integrated with the organic transformation, specifically carboxylation of organic substrates in a single reaction system. In addition, the unexplored potential of CO2 as an oxidant for the oxidation of organic substrates with the simultaneous production of CO will be explored. |