New Insights into the Mechanism of Visible Light Photocatalysis.
In recent years, the area of developing visible-light-active photocatalysts based on titanium dioxide has been enormously investigated due to its wide range of applications in energy and environment related fields. Various strategies have been designed to efficiently utilize the solar radiation and to enhance the efficiency of photocatalytic processes. Building on the fundamental strategies to improve the visible light activity of TiO2-based photocatalysts, this Perspective aims to give an insight into many contemporary developments in the field of visible-light-active photocatalysis. Various examples of advanced TiO2 composites have been discussed in relation to their visible light induced photoconversion efficiency, dynamics of electron-hole separation, and decomposition of organic and inorganic pollutants, which suggest the critical need for further development of these types of materials for energy conversion and environmental remediation purposes.
† Centre for Research in Engineering Surface Technology (CREST), FOCAS Institute, Dublin Institute of Technology, Kevin St, Dublin 8, Ireland.
Swagata
S
Banerjee
‡ Department of Environmental Science, Institute of Technology Sligo, Sligo, Ireland.|§ Centre for Precision Engineering, Materials and Manufacturing Research (PEM), Institute of Technology Sligo, Sligo, Ireland.
Suresh C
SC
Pillai
∥ Institute of Advanced Materials, Physicochemical Processes, Nanotechnology and Microsystems, NCSR Demokritos, Agia Paraskevi Attikis, P.O. Box 6003, 15310 Athens, Greece.
Polycarpos
P
Falaras
⊥ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, United States.
Kevin E
KE
O'Shea
# Nanotechnology and Integrated Bio-Engineering Centre, School of Engineering, Faculty of Computing and Engineering, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland BT37 0QB, United Kingdom.
John A
JA
Byrne
¶ Environmental Engineering and Science Program, School of Energy, Environmental, Biological, and Medical Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0012, United States.
Dionysios D
DD
Dionysiou