Design of Heterostructured Hollow Photocatalysts for Solar-to-Chemical Energy Conversion.

Direct conversion of solar energy into chemical energy in a sustainable manner is one of the most promising solutions to the energy crisis and environmental issues. Fabrication of highly active photocatalysts is of great significance for the practical applications of efficient solar-to-chemical energy conversion systems. Among various photocatalytic materials, semiconductor-based heterostructured photocatalysts with hollow features show distinct advantages. Recent research efforts on rational design of heterostructured hollow photocatalysts toward photocatalytic water splitting and CO2 reduction are presented. First, both single-shelled and multishelled heterostructured photocatalysts are surveyed. Then, heterostructured hollow photocatalysts with tube-like and frame-like morphologies are discussed. It is intended that further innovative works on the material design of high-performance photocatalysts for solar energy utilization can be inspired.

Zhang P ，Lou XWD 《-》

Fabrication of Heterostructured Fe(2) TiO(5) -TiO(2) Nanocages with Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Performance for Solar Energy Conversion.

Photocatalysts with well-designed compositions and structures are desirable for achieving highly efficient solar-to-chemical energy conversion. Heterostructured semiconductor photocatalysts with advanced hollow structures possess beneficial features for promoting the activity towards photocatalytic reactions. Here we develop a facile synthetic strategy for the fabrication of Fe2 TiO5 -TiO2 nanocages (NCs) as anode materials in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting cells. A hydrothermal reaction is performed to transform MIL-125(Ti) nanodisks (NDs) to Ti-Fe-O NCs, which are further converted to Fe2 TiO5 -TiO2 NCs through a post annealing process. Owing to the compositional and structural advantages, the heterostructured Fe2 TiO5 -TiO2 NCs show enhanced performance for PEC water oxidation compared with TiO2 NDs, Fe2 TiO5 nanoparticles (NPs) and Fe2 TiO5 -TiO2 NPs.

Zhang P ，Lu XF ，Luan D ，Lou XWD ... -  《-》

Effective Charge Carrier Utilization in Photocatalytic Conversions.

Zhang P ，Wang T ，Chang X ，Gong J ... -  《-》

Near-Infrared-Driven Photocatalysts: Design, Construction, and Applications.

Photocatalysts, which utilize solar energy to catalyze the oxidation or reduction half reactions, have attracted tremendous interest due to their great potential in addressing increasingly severe global energy and environmental issues. Solar energy utilization plays an important role in determining photocatalytic efficiencies. In the past few decades, many studies have been done to promote photocatalytic efficiencies via extending the absorption of solar energy into near-infrared (NIR) light. This Review comprehensively summarizes the recent progress in NIR-driven photocatalysts, including the strategies to harvest NIR photons and corresponding photocatalytic applications such as the degradation of organic pollutants, water disinfection, water splitting for H2 and O2 evolution, CO2 reduction, etc. The application of NIR-active photocatalysts employed as electrocatalysts is also presented. The subject matter of this Review is designed to present the relationship between material structure and material optical properties as well as the advantage of material modification in photocatalytic reactions. It paves the way for future material design in solar energy-related fields and other energy conversion and storage fields.

Wang L ，Xu X ，Cheng Q ，Dou SX ，Du Y ... -  《-》

Plasmon-Enhanced Solar Water Splitting on Metal-Semiconductor Photocatalysts.

Photocatalytic water splitting using solar energy has been widely studied as a promising method for clean energy production. Continued efforts have been made to enhance the performance of solar-to-fuel energy conversion. The introduction of localized surface plasmon resonance (SPR) has been proposed as a promising strategy to enhance the efficiency of photocatalytic water splitting. This review presents an overview of the recent progress in the development of plasmonic photocatalysts for solar water splitting. Plasmon-enhanced mechanisms, including hot electron injection, near-field effects, and light scattering/trapping, are discussed. Furthermore, recent relevant works to discuss the emerging strategies for efficiency improvement and better understanding of the mechanisms are summarized. Finally, the perspectives of plasmonic photocatalysts for water splitting and the possible research directions are presented and discussed.

Zheng Z ，Xie W ，Huang B ，Dai Y ... -  《-》