Design of highly-active photocatalytic materials for solar fuel production

Abstract

Due to the severe energy and environmental crisis, solar fuels are receiving wide attention. They are generated by solar-driven photocatalytic systems. Highly-active photocatalytic materials are cardinal for this promising technology. However, they suffer from rapid carrier recombination, limited solar light adsorption, as well as deficient active sites. To overcome these drawbacks and develop efficient photocatalysts, various strategies have been devised. In this perspective, we attempt to summarize the recent development of highly-active photocatalysts designed from three aspects: light-harvesting, charge separation and transport, and surface redox reactions. This perspective mainly focuses on i) developing visible-light response photocatalysts, ii) constructing heterojunction photocatalysts, and iii) loading cocatalysts. It is expected that further innovative works on the design of highly-active photocatalytic materials for solar fuel production can be inspired by this perspective.