Issue 6, 2018

Defect-mediated electron–hole separation in semiconductor photocatalysis

Abstract

Defects play important roles in semiconductor photocatalysis, which not only can act as active sites but also serve as recombination centers for electrons and holes. The rational control of defects appears to be particularly important. Defect engineering in semiconductor electron–hole separation is complex but vital for photocatalysis, and the exact control of defects still presents a great challenge. This review endeavors to clarify the inherent functionality of different defects such as bulk defects and surface/interface defects. The common defects such as oxygen vacancies and Mn+ defects have been summarized and discussed. The controllable creation of defects could lead to defect channels via defect–strain coupling, defect–defect and defect–electron interactions, which contribute to the enhancement in electronic conductivity and the separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. The deep understanding of defects can consolidate the fundamental photocatalytic theory and provide new insights for rationally designing defect-engineered semiconductor photocatalytic materials with satisfactory performance.

Graphical abstract: Defect-mediated electron–hole separation in semiconductor photocatalysis

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
08 Feb 2018
Accepted
03 Apr 2018
First published
06 Apr 2018

Inorg. Chem. Front., 2018,5, 1240-1254

Defect-mediated electron–hole separation in semiconductor photocatalysis

W. Zhou and H. Fu, Inorg. Chem. Front., 2018, 5, 1240 DOI: 10.1039/C8QI00122G

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements