Visible Light Photocatalytic Systems and Materials

Visible light photocatalysis harnesses solar‐spectrum photons to drive redox reactions on semiconductor surfaces, offering a sustainable route for environmental remediation, energy conversion and synthetic chemistry. Key strategies centre on tailoring materials to extend light absorption into the visible region, promote efficient separation of photoinduced electron–hole pairs and generate reactive oxygen species. Common platforms include metal oxide semiconductors (such as bismuth oxycompounds and titanium dioxide derivatives), two‐dimensional nanosheets, carbon‐based quantum dots and noble‐metal‐modified composites. Architectures with carefully engineered heterojunctions or surface plasmon resonance enable band‐gap narrowing, internal electric fields and local electromagnetic enhancement, thereby boosting charge carrier migration and prolonging lifetimes. Advances in morphology control—ranging from nanoplates and micro-flowers to one-dimensional/ two-dimensional hybrid rods and nanosheets—contribute to high surface areas, facet‐dependent activity and robust cycling stability. Collectively, these developments underline the global significance of visible-light photocatalysts in purifying air and water, degrading persistent organic pollutants and driving value-added chemical syntheses under mild conditions.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated that α-Bi2O3/(BiO)2CO3 nanoplate heterojunctions, fabricated via in-situ thermal treatment, exhibit pronounced structural modulation and an expanded optical absorption range. The well-defined interface between phases enhances charge separation, leading to a marked increase in hydroxyl radical generation under simulated solar irradiation. This results in significantly improved removal of gaseous pollutants compared with pristine bismuth oxycarbonate, illustrating the power of intentional heterojunction design for visible-light activity.

Visible Light Photocatalytic Systems and Materials publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in visible light photocatalytic systems and materials across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Heterojunction: Interface between two semiconductors with differing band structures that fosters directional charge transfer and separation.

Charge separation: Process by which photoexcited electrons and holes are spatially or energetically separated to prevent recombination.

Bandgap narrowing: Reduction of the energy difference between valence and conduction bands to extend light absorption into the visible spectrum.

Reactive oxygen species: Highly reactive intermediates (e.g. •OH, O2•–) generated under illumination that drive oxidation of pollutants.

Surface plasmon resonance: Collective oscillation of conduction electrons in metal nanoparticles that amplifies local electromagnetic fields and light harvesting.

References

1. In situ Fabrication of α-Bi2O3/(BiO)2CO3 Nanoplate Heterojunctions with Tunable Optical Property and Photocatalytic Activity. Scientific Reports (2016).
2. Synthesis of a Novel 1D/2D Bi2O2CO3–BiOI Heterostructure and Its Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity. Catalysts (2021).
3. Plasmonic Ag Nanoparticle-Loaded n-p Bi2O2CO3/α-Bi2O3 Heterojunction Microtubes with Enhanced Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Activity. Nanomaterials (2022).
4. In situ synthesis of p-n (BiO)4CO3(OH)2/Bi2O2CO3 internal polarized heterojunction for improved visible light photocatalytic performance. Materials Research Express (2020).