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Special Issue "The Potential Mechanisms and Functional Materials Design in Photocatalysis"

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Prof. Dr. Shunfang Li
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School of Physics and Microelectronics, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Interests: physical chemistry of surfaces and interfaces; nano photocatalysts design, charge transfer dynamics, non-adiabatic molecular dynamics, energy conversion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Developing highly efficient photocatalysts for the conversion of solar energy to clean energy is a promising strategy for solving the global energy and climate crises. The design of functional materials such as plasmonic nanostructures and elucidating fundamental electronic structures, especially the underlying dynamical mechanisms and light–matter interactions, are crucial to improving photoconversion efficiency. The interfacial charge transfer of photoexcited carriers to adsorbed molecules is also important for photocatalysis reactions. The present Special Issue in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences aims to provide insights to the international community working in the areas of electronic structures of plasmonic nanostructures; band-gap engineering for semiconducting materials; light–matter interactions; ultrafast dynamics of photoexcited charge carriers; and plasmon-mediated photodecomposition of molecules.

Topics of interest for the Special Issue include, but are not limited to:

Physical chemistry of low-dimensional materials;
Design, fabrication, analysis;
Multiscale modeling in functional materials;
Applications in the fields of energy and environment.

Prof. Dr. Shunfang Li
Guest Editor

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Keywords

photocatalysis
electronic structure
charge transfer dynamics
light-matter interaction
plasmon
low-dimensional material

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Research

17 pages, 18887 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation on the Structural and Photocatalytic Performance of Oxygen-Vacancy-Enriched SnO₂-CeO₂ Heterostructures

and

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(20), 15446; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242015446 - 22 Oct 2023

Viewed by 701

Abstract

In this study, pure CeO₂ and oxygen-vacancy-enriched SnO₂-CeO₂ composite materials were prepared using the sol–gel method, and their microstructures and photocatalytic properties were investigated. The results indicate that SnO₂ coupling promotes the separation and transfer of photogenerated electrons and holes and suppresses their recombination. The 50% SnO₂-CeO₂ composite material exhibited a decreased specific surface area compared to pure CeO₂ but significantly increased oxygen vacancy content, demonstrating the highest photogenerated charge separation efficiency and the best photocatalytic performance. After 120 min of illumination, the degradation degree of MB by the 50% SnO₂-CeO₂ composite material increased from 28.8% for pure CeO₂ to 90.8%, and the first-order reaction rate constant increased from 0.002 min⁻¹ to 0.019 min⁻¹. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Potential Mechanisms and Functional Materials Design in Photocatalysis)

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13 pages, 7531 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Facile Synthesis of 2D/2D Ti₂C₃/ZnIn₂S₄ Heterostructure for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation

and

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(4), 3936; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24043936 - 15 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1474

Abstract

ZnIn₂S₄, a novel two-dimensional visible light-responsive photocatalyst, has attracted much attention in the photocatalytic evolution of H₂ under visible light irradiation due to its attractive intrinsic photoelectric properties and geometric configuration. However, ZnIn₂S₄ still has severe charge recombination, which results in moderate photocatalytic performance. Herein, we report the successful synthesis of 2D/2D ZnIn₂S₄/Ti₃C₂ nanocomposites by a facile one-step hydrothermal method. The efficiency of the nanocomposites in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under visible light irradiation was also evaluated for different ratios of Ti₃C₂, and the optimal photocatalytic activity was achieved at 5% Ti₃C₂. Importantly, the activity was significantly higher than that of pure ZnIn₂S₄, ZnIn₂S₄/Pt, and ZnIn₂S₄/graphene. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is mainly due to the close interfacial contact between Ti₃C₂ and ZnIn₂S₄ nanosheets, which amplifies the transport of photogenerated electrons and enhances the separation of photogenerated carriers. This research describes a novel approach for the synthesis of 2D MXenes for photocatalytic hydrogen production and expands the utility of MXene composite materials in the fields of energy storage and conversion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Potential Mechanisms and Functional Materials Design in Photocatalysis)

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Special Issue "The Potential Mechanisms and Functional Materials Design in Photocatalysis"

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