Heteroatom‐Doped Carbonaceous Photocatalysts for Solar Fuel Production and Environmental Remediation

• Published in: ChemCatChem Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 62 - 123
• Main Authors: Zhao, Zhongkui, Ge, Guifang, Zhang, Di
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 09.01.2018
• Subjects: Alternative fuels; Carbon dioxide; carbon materials; Carbonaceous materials; Catalysis; Chemical properties; Corrosion resistance; Degradation; Doping; Electrochemical analysis; Electronic structure; environmental chemistry; Environmental restoration; Fossil fuels; Fuel production; metal-free catalyst; Optical properties; Photocatalysis; Photocatalysts; Pollutants; Remediation; Solar energy; Solar energy conversion; Surface structure; Water splitting
• ISSN: 1867-3880; 1867-3899
• DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201700707

Photocatalytic solar energy conversion and environmental remediation including water splitting, CO2 reduction, and pollutant degradation have attracted rapidly growing attention, owing to global fossil fuel depletion and increasing environmental issues. From the viewpoint of the broad availability, good environmental acceptability, high corrosion resistance, as well as the readily tailorable microstructure, electronic structure and surface chemical properties, carbonaceous materials have been demonstrated as promising and sustainable low‐cost metal‐free alternatives to metal‐based photocatalysts for solar fuel production and pollutant degradation. The non‐metallic heteroatoms doping approach has been considered as a powerful tool for modulating electronic structure, morphology, surface structure and surface chemistry, textural properties, optical properties, and electrochemical properties, as well as catalytic properties of carbonaceous photocatalysts. This Review represents a comprehensive overview of the latest advance in preparation and physicochemical properties of diverse non‐metallic heteroatoms‐doped carbonaceous materials, as well as their applications in heterogeneous photocatalysis towards solar energy conversion and environmental remediation. The physicochemical properties and photocatalytic performance of the carbonaceous photocatalysts are carefully compared, as well as a brief overview of fundamental principles for the promoting effect of heteroatoms‐doping is also presented. In addition, the future perspectives on the opportunities and challenges of heteroatoms doping for fabricating novel and excellent carbonaceous photocatalysts are outlined. Heteroatom doping is a powerful tool for modulating electronic structure, geometrical structure, surface chemistry, and subsequent electronic conductivity, optical properties, and photocatalysis of carbon materials. This Review emphasizes the synthesis, properties, and photocatalytic applications of doped carbonaceous materials, discusses the fundamental understanding of promoting effect of doping, and also outlines the challenges and future perspectives.