Reaction-Oriented Surface Engineering over (Photo)electrodes toward Promoted Artificial Photosynthesis

(Photo)electrocatalysis-driven artificial photosynthesis using water as an electron donor provides a sustainable approach for solar fuel production, in which three elementary reaction steps including diffusion–adsorption, catalytic conversion, and desorption–diffusion can collectively contribute to the overall conversion efficiency. Based on the mainline of these three steps, in this review, surface engineering is summarized and illustrated to modulate the (photo)electrodes toward the target reaction-oriented direction for the promoted artificial photosynthesis. Specifically, the following three aspects are elucidated in detail: (1) the regulation of the diffusion–adsorption process via surface hydrophobic modification and the optimization of electronic structure/vacancy; (2) the alternation of catalytic conversion from two aspects including both the improvement of target reactions and suppression of side and reverse reactions; (3) the modulation of the desorption–diffusion process through superhydrophobic interface construction. In addition, challenges and perspectives in this field are also analyzed and discussed. It is expected that this review can deepen the understanding of the (photo)electrocatalytic reaction mechanism and contribute to the effective design and construction of (photo)electrodes for promoted artificial photosynthesis.