Photoreduction of CO2 into hydrocarbon fuels using artificial photosynthesis is an ideal technology of solar-to-chemical energy conversion, which has been attracting more and more attention from both the academia and industry. In the review article, we report on the progress in the construction and application of new-type of wide-spectrum-responsive highly efficient artificial photosynthetic materials based on semiconductors and nanometals according to the following three routes: ① Design and synthesis of new semiconductor-based artificial photosynthetic materials on the basis of energy band engineering, i.e., with the guidance of energy band theory, the materials thus developed should be satisfied with the requirements of thermodynamics of artificial photosynthesis while being able to absorb as much as possible the solar energy; ② design and synthesis of nanometal-based artificial photosynthetic materials with wide-spectrum-response to the near infrared range on the basis of local surface plasmonic resonance (LSPR) effect of noble metals; ③ design and synthesis of whole-spectrum-responsive artificial photosynthetic materials system on the basis of photothermal effect from group VIII metal nanoparticles. Particular attention has been paid to the activation of nonpolar CO2 molecules, photophysical and photochemical phenomena on the surface/interface, and the elucidation of mechanisms relating to the artificial photosynthetic process. We expect that this review will provide useful theoretical guidelines for developing highly efficient artificial photosynthetic materials system.