Application and Progress of Cerium‐Based Catalysts in Photothermal‐Coupled Catalytic CO ₂ Reduction

The global climate crisis and carbon neutrality imperatives are urgently advancing CO 2 emission mitigation and resource utilization technologies to critical research frontiers, with photothermal cocatalysis emerging as a transformative approach due to its inherent sustainability and energy efficiency. This review examines recent breakthroughs in cerium oxide (CeO 2 )‐based catalysts, systematically analyzing their intrinsic catalytic advantages while addressing fundamental limitations including narrow spectral response, high CO 2 activation barriers, and limited product selectivity. State‐of‐the‐art modification strategies—encompassing precision nanostructuring, rational elemental doping, optimized strong metal–support interactions, oxygen vacancy engineering, heterojunction band alignment, and single‐atom/nanocluster active site design—synergistically enhance light harvesting, promote charge carrier separation/migration, and improve CO 2 conversion kinetics with superior selectivity. Notwithstanding these advances, persistent challenges in long‐term stability, targeted synthesis of high‐value products, and scalable implementation necessitate future efforts to decipher multifield photothermal‐chemical energy coupling mechanisms, develop manufacturing protocols for ultrastable catalysts, and integrate atomic‐scale active site design with reactor‐scale engineering applications.