A Perspective on Surface-Engineering Strategies for Selective Photocatalytic Biomass Valorization

Achieving selective photocatalytic biomass valorization remains a major challenge due to the structural complexity of biomass-derived molecules and competing reaction pathways. This Perspective emphasizes the crucial role of surface-engineering strategies in achieving selective photocatalytic biomass conversion. Through rational surface design─incorporating approaches like defect engineering, single-atom catalysis, and elemental doping─it is possible to modulate charge transfer, adsorption configurations, and intermediate stabilization, thereby guiding reaction pathways toward desired products. These strategies collectively establish a versatile platform for constructing highly selective photocatalysts for biomass conversion. Looking ahead, advancing design through concepts such as strong metal–support interactions and frustrated Lewis pairs, expanding the reaction scope to complex raw biomass feedstocks, deepening mechanistic understanding via operando spectroscopy and theoretical calculation, and enabling industrial-scale application through advanced synthesis techniques and innovative reactor systems will be crucial. Integrating surface-engineering with light-driven dynamics is expected to unlock new paradigms for efficient photocatalytic biomass valorization.