Chapter 4 - Heterojunction-based photocatalyst

Abstract

The use of heterojunction photocatalysts has received much attention in addressing the solar energy conversion and environmental pollution issues worldwide. Basically, semiconductor photocatalysis refers to the fast charge recombination and limited visible-light absorption of photocatalysts. Hence, numerous strategies have been established in the past few decades to fabricate heterojunction photocatalysts. This chapter outlines the recent progress in the development of heterojunction photocatalysts, including semiconductor–semiconductor heterojunction, semiconductor–metal heterojunction, semiconductor–carbon heterojunction, and multicomponent heterojunction. All of these types of heterojunction photocatalysts were also presented in relation to environmental and energy applications, such as the degradation of pollutants, hydrogen generation, and photocatalytic disinfection. This chapter concludes with a summary and outlooks on the challenges and new directions in this exciting and evolving research area.