Semiconductor photocatalysts have received much attention in recent years due to their great potentials for the development of renewable energy technologies, as well as for environmental protection and remediation. The effective harvesting of solar energy and suppression of charge carrier recombination are two key aspects in photocatalysis. The formation of heterostructured photocatalysts is a promising strategy to improve photocatalytic activity, which is superior to that of their single component photocatalysts. This Feature Article concisely summarizes and highlights the state-of-the-art progress of semiconductor/semiconductor heterostructured photocatalysts with diverse models, including type-I and type-II heterojunctions, Z-scheme system, p-n heterojunctions, and homojunction band alignments, which were explored for effective improvement of photocatalytic activity through increase of the visible-light absorption, promotion of separation, and transportation of the photoinduced charge carries, and enhancement of the photocatalytic stability.
Semiconductor photocatalysts have attracted increased attention due to their great potential for solving energy and environmental problems. The formation of Z‐scheme photocatalytic systems that mimic natural photosynthesis is a promising strategy to improve photocatalytic activity that is superior to single component photocatalysts. The connection between photosystem I (PS I) and photosystem II (PS II) are crucial for constructing efficient Z‐scheme photocatalytic systems using two photocatalysts (PS I and PS II). The present review concisely summarizes and highlights recent state‐of‐the‐art accomplishments of Z‐scheme photocatalytic systems with diverse connection modes, including i) with shuttle redox mediators, ii) without electron mediators, and iii) with solid‐state electron mediators, which effectively increase visible‐light absorption, promote the separation and transportation of photoinduced charge carriers, and thus enhance the photocatalytic efficiency. The challenges and prospects for future development of Z‐scheme photocatalytic systems are also presented.
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