马新

Ultrabroad-spectrum absorption and highly efficient generation of available charge carriers are two essential requirements for promising semiconductor-based photocatalysts, towards achieving the ultimate goal of solar-to-fuel conversion. Here, a fascinating nonmetal plasmonic Z-scheme photocatalyst with the W₁₈O₄₉/g-C₃N₄ heterostructure is reported, which can effectively harvest photon energies spanning from the UV to the nearinfrared region and simultaneously possesses improved charge-carrier dynamics to boost the generation of long-lived active electrons for the photocatalytic reduction of protons into H₂. By combining with theoretical simulations, a unique synergistic photocatalysis effect between the semiconductive Z-scheme charge-carrier separation and metal-like localized-surface-plasmon-resonance-induced “hot electrons” injection process is demonstrated within this binary heterostructure.

Almost a full-solar-spectrum-driven photocatalytic H₂ evolution is achieved over the nonmetal plasmonic Z-Scheme photocatalyst of the W₁₈O₄₉/g-C₃N₄ heterostructure based on the unique synergetic photocatalysis effect between semiconductive Z-scheme charge-carriers separation and metal-like localized-surface-plasmon-resonance.

Semiconductor-based photocatalysis attracts wide attention because of its ability to directly utilize solar energy for production of solar fuels, such as hydrogen and hydrocarbon fuels and for degradation of various pollutants. However, the efficiency of photocatalytic reactions remains low due to the fast electron–hole recombination and low light utilization. Therefore, enormous efforts have been undertaken to solve these problems. Particularly, properly engineered heterojunction photocatalysts are shown to be able to possess higher photocatalytic activity because of spatial separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. Here, the basic principles of various heterojunction photocatalysts are systematically discussed. Recent efforts toward the development of heterojunction photocatalysts for various photocatalytic applications are also presented and appraised. Finally, a brief summary and perspectives on the challenges and future directions in the area of heterojunction photocatalysts are also provided.

Heterojunction photocatalysts attract a lot of attention because of their effectiveness for spatial separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. Therefore, various types of heterojunction photocatalyst are applied in different photocatalytic fields, including H₂ production, CO₂ reduction, and pollutant degradation. The development of heterojunction photocatalysts can lead to significant advancements in the photocatalysis field.