Nanostructured Photothermal Materials for Environmental and Catalytic Applications

Abstract

Solar energy is a green and sustainable clean energy source. Its rational use can alleviate the energy crisis and environmental pollution. Directly converting solar energy into heat energy is the most efficient method among all solar conversion strategies. Recently, various environmental and energy applications based on nanostructured photothermal materials stimulated the re-examination of the interfacial solar energy conversion process. The design of photothermal nanomaterials is demonstrated to be critical to promote the solar-to-heat energy conversion and the following physical and chemical processes. This review introduces the latest photothermal nanomaterials and their nanostructure modulation strategies for environmental (seawater evaporation) and catalytic (C1 conversion) applications. We present the research progress of photothermal seawater evaporation based on two-dimensional and three-dimensional porous materials. Then, we describe the progress of photothermal catalysis based on layered double hydroxide derived nanostructures, hydroxylated indium oxide nanostructures, and metal plasmonic nanostructures. Finally, we present our insights concerning the future development of this field.

Uniting Heat and Light in Heterogeneous CO2 Photocatalysis: Optochemical Materials and Reactor Engineering

“…Over the past eight years, rapid growth and notable leaps occurred in the burgeoning field of photothermal catalysis, and progress in the development of indium oxide-based catalysts for photothermal CO 2 catalysis is compelling. ,,,,, − In this section, we will introduce the rational design and development strategies of indium oxide-based catalysts for photothermal CO 2 catalysis for promoting charge separation and transfer, enhancing localized heating from the photothermal effect, and tuning surface active sites, which correspond to the three key processes discussed in the above sections: photochemistry, thermochemistry, and surface chemistry, respectively.…”

“…Photothermal heterogeneous catalytic CO 2 conversion has received vast attention as a powerful CO 2 reduction and utilization technique , due to its potential to integrate with the present industrial facilities. The discovery of photothermal CO 2 catalysis can be traced to 2014 , and during the past eight years of fast development, several material systems have demonstrated promise as effective performers for photothermal CO 2 catalysis, including metallic, semiconductors, and plasmonic materials. ,,− Indium oxide, a highly tunable semiconductor for CO 2 photocatalysis, which was among the first to be used in photothermal CO 2 catalysis, has become one of the most well-studied photothermal catalyst systems. ,,− With the development of indium oxide-based catalysts, a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the synthesis–structure–property relationship of photothermal catalysts has been established, which makes indium oxide a tutorial model for introducing photothermal CO 2 catalysis.…”

Near-Infrared Responsive Ag@Au Nanoplates with Exceptional Stability for Highly Sensitive Colorimetric and Photothermal Dual-Mode Lateral Flow Immunoassay

“…26−29 Noble metal nanostructures usually exhibit excellent photothermal performance due to their unique localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) property. 30,31 Generally, the absorption cross section (σ abs , σ ext = σ sca + σ abs ) and molar absorption coefficient of Ag nanoparticles are much higher than those of other metal nanoparticles, so the LSPR property and photothermal effect of Ag nanoparticles are much stronger than those of others. 32,33 Furthermore, for the generation of optimal photothermal signals, the LSPR absorption peak of nanoparticles should match with the irradiation wavelength of the laser.…”

Controlled Growth Cu2S Nanoarrays with High-Performance Photothermal Properties

“…Photothermal materials play a crucial role in photothermal therapy [ 9 ], solar heat collection [ 10 ], photothermal seawater evaporation [ 11 ], and photothermal catalysis [ 12 ]. So far, noble metal nanomaterials [ 13 ], carbon based materials [ 14 ], semiconductors, and organic materials [ 15 ] have been used for photothermal applications.…”