About this Research Topic
Semiconductor photocatalysis, which can directly harvest and convert solar energy for environmental remediation, has been recognized as one of the green-sustainable and ideal avenues to address the global environmental pollution concerns. At the heart of a photocatalytic system is the advanced photocatalyst. The past few decades have witnessed the fast development of effective photocatalysts. Among them, low-dimensional semiconductor nanomaterials, such as 0D quantum dots, 1D nanowires, and 2D nanosheets, with at least one degree of spatial confinement are of particular interest for photocatalysis due to their size-tunable optical properties and large specific surface area, etc. The design and synthesis of low-dimensional photocatalysts and their related heterostructure have been the subject of extensive research, opening new opportunities as well as posing new challenges for their applications in environmental remediation.
Since this fast-moving research area is starting to pose and answer questions that determine the photocatalytic performance of low-dimensional semiconductor involved materials, it is an opportune time to look at the progress and point out future directions in this field. Thus, this Research Topic is proposed. It intends to draw attention to and assess recent advances in the design and synthesis of low-dimensional semiconductor involved materials and their applications in environmental remediation. It is expected to provide more insights into the understanding of the relationship between the low-dimensional structure and the photocatalytic properties. It also aims to offer the current challenges and perspectives toward this dynamic field.
We invite submissions of original research articles as well as reviews and mini-reviews. We are particularly interested in articles about the synthesis of low-dimensional semiconductor photocatalysts, and their environmental applications. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
• 0D, 1D, and 2D nanomaterials as photocatalysts
• 0D, 1D, and 2D nanomaterials-based heterostructure
• Photocatalytic elimination of environmental pollutants
• Photocatalysis for CO2 reduction
• Photocatalytic inactivation of pathogens, such as virus and bacteria
• Photocatalytic detoxication of heavy metals
• Photocatalytic processes in the degradation of emerging contaminants
• Photocatalytic mechanisms of catalysts with Type II or Z-scheme heterojunctions
• Advanced characterizations to reveal charge dynamics in photocatalysis
Keywords: Low-dimensional nanomaterials, heterojunction, photocatalysis, environmental remediation, catalytic mechanisms
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.
