Issue 69, 2022

State-of-the-art advancements of atomically thin two-dimensional photocatalysts for energy conversion

Abstract

Excessive use of fossil fuels leads to energy shortages and environmental pollution, threatening human health and social development. As a clean, green, and sustainable technology, generation of renewable energy from solar light through photocatalysis has received increasing attention to cope with the impending energy and environmental crisis. The atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors with large surface area and abundant low-coordinate surface atoms prove to exhibit enormous potential to attain efficient photocatalytic performance. These 2D ultrathin materials can shorten the transport distance of charge carriers from the interior to the surface, enhance reactants’ (e.g. CO2 and H2O) adsorption and activation to lower the energy barrier, promote specific reaction processes and inhibit competitive reactions, and regulate the efficiency and selectivity of the catalytic reaction. This Feature article provides a concise overview of the preparation, catalytic mechanism, strategies for boosting the photoconversion performance, various photocatalytic applications, and characterization techniques of atomically thin 2D semiconductors. The major challenges and opportunities of the ultrathin photocatalysts are also addressed. It is hoped that this review can provide useful guidelines toward further research on 2D nanocatalysts, and inspire practical applications of these unique materials for energy conversion.

Graphical abstract: State-of-the-art advancements of atomically thin two-dimensional photocatalysts for energy conversion

Associated articles

Article information

Article type
Feature Article
Submitted
12 May 2022
Accepted
25 Jul 2022
First published
27 Jul 2022

Chem. Commun., 2022,58, 9594-9613

State-of-the-art advancements of atomically thin two-dimensional photocatalysts for energy conversion

W. Gao, Z. Li, Q. Han, Y. Shen, C. Jiang, Y. Zhang, Y. Xiong, J. Ye, Z. Zou and Y. Zhou, Chem. Commun., 2022, 58, 9594 DOI: 10.1039/D2CC02708A

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