About this Research Topic
The rapid development of modern society is facing great challenges in the ever-soaring energy consumption owing to the depletion of fossil fuel. The transformation of abundant light/electrical energy into chemical energy through some photo(electro)catalytic strategies, including photocatalytic hydrogen generation, photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction, photocatalytic pollutant degradation, electrochemistry, and hydrocarbon conversions, has attracted significant interest in recent years. More recently, novel carbon materials such as graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanofibers (CNFs), fullerenes, carbon dots, and carbon nitride were exploited and used in the applications of the above photo(electro)catalysis.
One key point to enhance the photo(electro)catalytic properties of the commonly used functional nanomaterials is the improvement of the dynamics process of the electron-carriers. Importantly, novel carbon materials can act as conductive additives to improve the transportation of electrons, and their semiconductor properties further extend the application performance in the area of photo(electro)catalysis. Therefore, it is of significant importance to offer an international platform for exploring the design concepts, synthesis routes, and functional applications of novel carbon materials.
This Research Topic aims to cover recent progress and advances the design and functionalization of novel carbon materials, characterization, and evaluation of the performances in photo(electro)catalysis for environmental science, energy storage and conversion, and green chemical production processes.
Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
• Smart design and/or controllable synthesis of novel carbon materials
• Carbon-based heterostructure photocatalysts for hydrogen generation and carbon dioxide reduction
• Design and synthesis of carbon-based cocatalysts for enhancing the photocatalytic oxidation and reduction processes
• Modulating chemical kinetic processes of charge-carriers for photoelectric devices
• Defect- and bandgap-engineering for photo-/thermal-/electro-catalysis
Keywords: Novel carbon materials, Photocatalysis, Electrocatalysis, Graphene, Carbon nanofiber
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
