The Combination of Hydrogen and Methanol Production through Artificial Photosynthesis—Are We Ready Yet?

Because 100 % quantum efficiency for the photosynthetic production of H2 from H2O under visible illumination has been achieved recently, the oxidation of H2O to O2 remains the bottleneck to the overall water‐splitting reaction. Oxidation of CH4 to CH3OH might be combined with water reduction instead, so that H2 and CH3OH chemical fuels can be simultaneously produced through a one‐step process under solar illumination. This combination would be a promising approach towards a more sustainable future of chemistry, in which developing different strategies for artificial photosynthesis is of paramount importance. By using free and adsorbed HO. radicals on the semiconductor surface, CH4 can be activated to H3C. radicals and converted into CH3OH, respectively, with great selectivity up to 100 %. The present lack of efficient photosynthetic systems for the formation of H2 and CH3OH from abundant H2O and CH4 motivates future research for basic science and industrial applications. Imitating nature: Methods for the simultaneously photosynthetic production of hydrogen from water under visible‐light illumination with semiconductors are reviewed. This combination is a promising energy solution for a sustainable future in which artificial photosynthesis is of paramount importance.