Photocatalytic Systems by Design: Materials, Mechanisms and Applications explores various aspects of photocatalysis, including the photocatalytic phenomenon and process, applications, and the design of photocatalysts via band gap engineering. The book also covers band edge position engineering for multiple photocatalytic applications, such as pollutant degradations, hydrogen production, CO2 reduction into hydrocarbon fuels, antimicrobial disinfections, organic synthesis, N2 fixation, and more. This book is designed to enable beginners to learn the concepts and applications of photocatalysis. Unlike conventional books on photocatalysis, the book provides a 360° perspective into the field of photocatalysis and serves as an informative handbook for all audiences. Addresses all concepts and applications of photocatalysis Covers the fundamentals, including mechanisms of photocatalytic materials Describes the various material systems and engineering of photocatalysts Offers insight into the schemes for photocatalysis of various materials Discusses the application-specific design of photocatalysts

Photocatalysis: Fundamental Processes and Applications, Volume 32 in the Interface Science and Technology Series, discusses the fundamental aspects of photocatalysis and its process and applications to the decontamination of wastewater, hydrogen production via water splitting, and photo reduction of carbon dioxide to hydrocarbon. The book discusses the fundamental aspects of all applications together with their proper mechanisms, thus providing essential information for deep research in the area of clean environment and green energy production. Provides background on the fundamental and experimental processes of photocatalysis Covers photocatalysis and its impact on creating a clean environment and energy sources Applies photocatalysis to the decontamination of wastewater, hydrogen production via water splitting, and photo reduction of carbon dioxide to hydrocarbon Edited by a world-leading researcher in interface science

The semiconductor titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been evolved as a prototypical material to understand the photocatalytic process, and has been demonstrated for various photocatalytic applications such as pollutants degradation, water splitting, heavy metal reduction, CO2 conversion, N2 fixation, bacterial disinfection, etc. Rigorous photocatalytic studies on TiO2 have paved the way to understanding the various chemical processes involved and the physical parameters (optical and electrical) required to design and construct diverse photocatalytic systems. Accordingly, it has been realized that an effective photocatalyst should have ideal band edge potential, narrow band gap energy, reduced charge recombination, enhanced charge separation, improved interfacial charge transfer, surface-rich catalytic sites, etc. As a result, many strategies have been developed to design a variety of photocatalytic systems, which include doping, composite formation, sensitization, co-catalyst loading, etc. Towards highlighting the above-mentioned diversities in TiO2 photocatalysis, there have been many interesting original research works on TiO2, involving material designs for various photocatalytic applications published in this Special Issue. In addition, some excellent review papers have also been published in this Special Issue, focusing on the various TiO2-based photocatalytic systems and their mechanisms and applications.

Discover the latest research in photocatalysis combined with foundational topics in basic physical and chemical photocatalytic processes In Heterogeneous Photocatalysis: From Fundamentals to Applications in Energy Conversion and Depollution, distinguished researcher and editor Jennifer Strunk delivers a rigorous discussion of the two main topics in her field—energy conversion and depollution reactions. The book covers topics like water splitting, CO2 reduction, NOx abatement and harmful organics degradation. In addition to the latest research on these topics, the reference provides readers with fundamental information about elementary physical and chemical processes in photocatalysis that are extremely practical in this interdisciplinary field. It offers an excellent overview of modern heterogeneous photocatalysis and combines concepts from different viewpoints to allow researchers with backgrounds as varied as electrochemistry, material science, and semiconductor physics to begin developing solutions with photocatalysis. In addition to subjects like metal-free photocatalysts and photocarrier loss pathways in metal oxide absorber materials for photocatalysis explored with time-resolved spectroscopy, readers will also benefit from the inclusion of: Thorough introductions to kinetic and thermodynamic considerations for photocatalyst design and the logic, concepts, and methods of the design of reliable studies on photocatalysis Detailed explorations of in-situ spectroscopy for mechanistic studies in semiconductor photocatalysis and the principles and limitations of photoelectrochemical fuel generation Discussions of photocatalysis, including the heterogeneous catalysis perspective and insights into photocatalysis from computational chemistry Treatments of selected aspects of photoreactor engineering and defects in photocatalysis Perfect for photochemists, physical and catalytic chemists, electrochemists, and materials scientists, Heterogeneous Photocatalysis will also earn a place in the libraries of surface physicists and environmental chemists seeking up-to-date information about energy conversion and depollution reactions.

This thesis describes novel strategies for the rational design of several cutting-edge high-efficiency photocatalysts, for applications such as water photooxidation, reduction, and overall splitting using a Z-Scheme system. As such, it focuses on efficient strategies for reducing energy loss by controlling charge transfer and separation, including novel faceted forms of silver phosphate for water photooxidation at record high rates, surface-basic highly polymerised graphitic carbon nitride for extremely efficient hydrogen production, and the first example of overall water splitting using a graphitic carbon nitride-based Z-Scheme system. Photocatalytic water splitting using solar irradiation can potentially offer a zero-carbon renewable energy source, yielding hydrogen and oxygen as clean products. These two ‘solar’ products can be used directly in fuel cells or combustion to provide clean electricity or other energy. Alternatively they can be utilised as separate entities for feedstock-based reactions, and are considered to be the two cornerstones of hydrogenation and oxidation reactions, including the production of methanol as a safe/portable fuel, or conventional catalytic reactions such as Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and ethylene oxide production. The main driving force behind the investigation is the fact that no photocatalyst system has yet reported combined high efficiency, high stability, and cost effectiveness; though cheap and stable, most suffer from low efficiency.

Research for the development of more efficient photocatalysts has experienced an almost exponential growth since its popularization in early 1970’s. Despite the advantages of the widely used TiO2, the yield of the conversion of sun power into chemical energy that can be achieved with this material is limited prompting the research and development of a number of structural, morphological and chemical modifications of TiO2 , as well as a number of novel photocatalysts with very different composition. Design of Advanced Photocatalytic Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications provides a systematic account of the current understanding of the relationships between the physicochemical properties of the catalysts and photoactivity. The already long list of photocatalysts phases and their modifications is increasing day by day. By approaching this field from a material sciences angle, an integrated view allows readers to consider the diversity of photocatalysts globally and in connection with other technologies. Design of Advanced Photocatalytic Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications provides a valuable road-map, outlining the common principles lying behind the diversity of materials, but also delimiting the imprecise border between the contrasted results and the most speculative studies. This broad approach makes it ideal for specialist but also for engineers, researchers and students in related fields.

In recent years, semiconductor-based heterogeneous photocatalysis has received great attention as a promising "green" approach enabling the sustainable development of environment and energy, such as the removal of organic dye pollutants from wastewater and selective organic transformations under ambient conditions. Chapter one of this book summarizes recent advances on the characterization and photocatalytic properties of well-defined ceria (CeO2) nanocrystals, including one-dimensional nanorods and three-dimensional nanocubes that are hydrothermally synthesized. Chapter two summarizes recent advances on the characterization and photocatalytic properties of well-defined perovskite potassium niobate (KNbO3) with different morphologies, and with emphasis on the effect of crystal structure on photoreactivity. The final chapter summarizes fundamental principles of the design of solar-light-driven semiconductor-based photocatalytic systems for water splitting and H2 evolution from water and aqueous solutions of various electron-donating sacrificial substrates, the state-of-the-art in the development of such systems, perspectives and challenges in the field of the green and sustainable photocatalytic hydrogen production.