Recent advances of semiconductor photocatalysis for water pollutant treatment: mechanisms, materials and applications

Abstract

Semiconductor photocatalysis has become an increasing area of interest for use in water treatment methods.

Hydrogen Production Using Modern Photocatalysts

“…Understanding the fundamental aspects and mechanisms of transfer is essential for the complete distribution of electron/hole pairs [108]. Photocatalytic processes proceed with low quantum efficiency due to the high recombination rate of electron/hole pairs, and the main efforts to eliminate these limitations involve modifying the electron structure of semiconductors by introducing special dopants, including dyes or noble metals, such as Pt, Au, Pd, or Ag, into the base material [109][110][111]. The introduction of platinum can increase the production of H 2 by up to about 25%, and the most active form of the photocatalyst can produce H 2 without water, paving the way for greener industrial hydrogen production [112].…”

Near-infrared responsive magnetic photocatalyst based on NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+@Cu2O@MoS2@Fe3O4 for the efficient degradation of organic contaminants

“…Addressing these critical issues necessitates prioritizing the advancement of eco-friendly technologies focused on environmental clean-up and the transformation of energy. 3 Among the various methods, semiconductor photocatalytic technology originated in the 1970s provides a new and effective way to address environmental pollution. Semiconductor photocatalysts can use solar energy or an artificial light source to convert light energy into chemical energy through redox reactions to degrade and treat all kinds of inorganic and organic pollutants in the environment.…”

Solvothermal Synthesis of Cu2ZnSnSe4 Nanoparticles and Their Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Activity

“…Due to their adequate nature and outstanding optoelectronic properties (as has been said and described above), researchers are encouraged to work on kesterite semiconductor materials as a suitable candidate in the field of semiconductor photocatalysis [12,23,24]. In fact, in recent years, the CZTS semiconducting photocatalyst compound has been well documented and intensively studied in water remediation of organic pollutants and industrial wastes [13,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]. However, until now, there have been few works reporting the employment of the CZTSe compound as a semiconducting photocatalytic material.…”