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Catalysts
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Porous Materials for Photocatalysis and Energy
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Porous Materials for Photocatalysis and Energy

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Photocatalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2021) | Viewed by 32972

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Abel Santos

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Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering, Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS), ARC Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale BioPhotonics (CNBP), The University of Adelaide, Engineering North Building, Adelaide 5005, Australia
Interests: structural engineering of nanoporous materials; photocatalysis and energy; nanophotonics and plasmonics; optical sensing and biosensing; smart drug delivery from nanocarriers and surface coatings for biomedical applications; microfluidic lab-on-a-chip systems for all-in-one sensing applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Porous and nanoporous materials produced through cost-effective and fully scalable synthesis approaches enable the generation of cutting-edge materials with controllable dimensions and properties for photocatalysis and energy applications. Recent decades have witnessed an extensive research activity into the precise engineering of porous and nanoporous materials, from fundamental studies to applied science. These materials offer a set of unique and exclusive advantages for a wealth of applications in photocatalysis and energy, such as environmental remediation, synthesis of chemicals, green energy generation, and energy storage.

This Special Issue is dedicated to recent research advances in porous materials and their application in photocatalysis and energy. The broad and interdisciplinary applicability of these materials will be of profound and immediate interest for a broad audience, ranging from physicists, and chemists to engineers, material scientists, and experts.

Dr. Abel Santos Alejandro
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Synthesis and engineering of porous materials
  • Photocatalysis for environmental remediation
  • Photocatalysis for synthesis of chemicals
  • Photocatalysis for green energy generation and storage

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 4548 KiB  
Article
Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to Methanol Using a Copper-Zirconia Imidazolate Framework
by Sonam Goyal, Maizatul Shima Shaharun, Ganaga Suriya Jayabal, Chong Fai Kait, Bawadi Abdullah and Lim Jun Wei
Catalysts 2021, 11(3), 346; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal11030346 - 08 Mar 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2255
Abstract
A set of novel photocatalysts, i.e., copper-zirconia imidazolate (CuZrIm) frameworks, were synthesized using different zirconia molar ratios (i.e., 0.5, 1, and 1.5 mmol). The photoreduction process of CO2 to methanol in a continuous-flow stirred photoreactor at pressure and temperature of 1 atm [...] Read more.
A set of novel photocatalysts, i.e., copper-zirconia imidazolate (CuZrIm) frameworks, were synthesized using different zirconia molar ratios (i.e., 0.5, 1, and 1.5 mmol). The photoreduction process of CO2 to methanol in a continuous-flow stirred photoreactor at pressure and temperature of 1 atm and 25 °C, respectively, was studied. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized catalysts were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The highest methanol activity of 818.59 µmol/L.g was recorded when the CuZrIm1 catalyst with Cu/Zr/Im/NH4OH molar ratio of 2:1:4:2 (mmol/mmol/mmol/M) was employed. The enhanced yield is attributed to the presence of Cu2+ oxidation state and the uniformly dispersed active metals. The response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the reaction parameters. The predicted results agreed well with the experimental ones with the correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.99. The optimization results showed that the highest methanol activity of 1054 µmol/L.g was recorded when the optimum parameters were employed, i.e., stirring rate (540 rpm), intensity of light (275 W/m2) and photocatalyst loading (1.3 g/L). The redox potential value for the CuZrIm1 shows that the reduction potential is −1.70 V and the oxidation potential is +1.28 V for the photoreduction of CO2 to methanol. The current work has established the potential utilization of the imidazolate framework as catalyst support for the photoreduction of CO2 to methanol. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Materials for Photocatalysis and Energy)
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10 pages, 2753 KiB  
Article
The Impacts of Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide Photonic Crystals on a Cadmium Sulfide-Based Photoelectrode for Improved Solar Energy Conversion under Lower Incidence
by Kunqiang Wang, Xi Ke, Weizhe Wang, Chen Tu, Dongxiang Luo and Menglong Zhang
Catalysts 2020, 10(11), 1252; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal10111252 - 29 Oct 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1779
Abstract
Incident angle variation of light from the sun is a critical factor for the practical utilizations of solar energy devices. These devices typically receive the zenith of photon density under a solar elevation angle of 90°, and dramatic deletion of light density along [...] Read more.
Incident angle variation of light from the sun is a critical factor for the practical utilizations of solar energy devices. These devices typically receive the zenith of photon density under a solar elevation angle of 90°, and dramatic deletion of light density along with the decrease of solar elevation angle. Photonic crystals (PCs) with long range ordered arrays possess the controllable position of the photonic stop band (PSB) reliant on several factors, including incident angles, based on the Bragg–Snell law. The multiple scattering, refraction and inhibition of charge carrier recombination within the PSB suggests the potential capability for improving the efficiency of photoactive materials. In this work, we focus on the multiple scattering and refraction effects of PCs. A photoelectrode based on photonic crystal fluorine-doped tin oxide (PC FTO) film was fabricated, which allows the embedded photoactive materials (CdS nanoparticles) to benefit from the features of PCs under variable incidence, especially under lower incidence. The photoelectrode thus has enhanced overall photoelectrochemical (PEC) efficiency in different seasons, even if the increased surface area factor is deducted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Materials for Photocatalysis and Energy)
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15 pages, 6383 KiB  
Article
CoSe2 Clusters as Efficient Co-Catalyst Modified CdS Nanorod for Enhance Visible Light Photocatalytic H2 Evolution
by Ruizhou Gan, Xiaohua Ma, Guorong Wang and Zhiliang Jin
Catalysts 2019, 9(7), 616; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal9070616 - 20 Jul 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4417
Abstract
CoSe2, as a kind of co-catalyst, would replace noble metals element to dope pure CdS. The CoSe2/CdS photocatalyst could be synthesized by simple physical mixing. With the introduction of CoSe2, especially 30% CoSe2/CdS, hydrogen production would [...] Read more.
CoSe2, as a kind of co-catalyst, would replace noble metals element to dope pure CdS. The CoSe2/CdS photocatalyst could be synthesized by simple physical mixing. With the introduction of CoSe2, especially 30% CoSe2/CdS, hydrogen production would be about 500 μmol within 5 h, five times that of pure CdS under the same conditions. The CoSe2/CdS photocatalyst could bear four cycles of hydrogen evolution and sustain the hydrogen production, with a minor decrease. In other words, the electron transition velocity would surge along with the introduction of CoSe2 particles. The CoSe2 could be deemed as the predator and exit of electrons to inspire the detachment of the hole-electron pairs and relieve the recombination of the hole-electron pairs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Materials for Photocatalysis and Energy)
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14 pages, 2633 KiB  
Article
Synergistic Effect in Zinc Phthalocyanine—Nanoporous Gold Hybrid Materials for Enhanced Photocatalytic Oxidations
by David Steinebrunner, Günter Schnurpfeil, Andre Wichmann, Dieter Wöhrle and Arne Wittstock
Catalysts 2019, 9(6), 555; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal9060555 - 20 Jun 2019
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5504
Abstract
Nanoporous gold (npAu) supports were prepared as disks and powders by corrosion of Au-Ag alloys. The npAu materials have pore sizes in the range of 40 nm as shown by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The surface was modified by a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) [...] Read more.
Nanoporous gold (npAu) supports were prepared as disks and powders by corrosion of Au-Ag alloys. The npAu materials have pore sizes in the range of 40 nm as shown by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The surface was modified by a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) with an azidohexylthioate and then functionalized by a zinc (II) phthalocyanine (ZnPc) derivative using “click chemistry”. By atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) the content of zinc was determined and the amount of immobilized ZnPc on npAu was calculated. Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy gave information about the spatial distribution of the ZnPc throughout the whole porous structure. NpAu and ZnPc are both absorbing light in the visible region, therefore, the heterogeneous hybrid systems were studied as photocatalysts for photooxidations using molecular oxygen. By irradiation of the hybrid system, singlet oxygen is formed, which was quantified using the photooxidation of 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran (DPBF) as a selective singlet oxygen quencher. The illuminated surface area of the npAu-ZnPc hybrid system and the coverage of the ZnPc were optimized. The synergistic effect between the plasmon resonance of npAu and the photosensitizer ZnPc was shown by selective irradiation and excitation of only the phthalocyanine, the plasmon resonance of the npAu support and both absorption bands simultaneously, resulting in an enhanced photooxidation activity by nearly an order of magnitude. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Materials for Photocatalysis and Energy)
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Review

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38 pages, 4628 KiB  
Review
Nanostructured Anodic Copper Oxides as Catalysts in Electrochemical and Photoelectrochemical Reactions
by Damian Giziński, Anna Brudzisz, Janaina S. Santos, Francisco Trivinho-Strixino, Wojciech J. Stępniowski and Tomasz Czujko
Catalysts 2020, 10(11), 1338; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal10111338 - 17 Nov 2020
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 5741
Abstract
Recently, nanostructured copper oxides formed via anodizing have been intensively researched due to their potential catalytic applications in emerging issues. The anodic Cu2O and CuO nanowires or nanoneedles are attractive photo- and electrocatalysts since they show wide array of desired electronic [...] Read more.
Recently, nanostructured copper oxides formed via anodizing have been intensively researched due to their potential catalytic applications in emerging issues. The anodic Cu2O and CuO nanowires or nanoneedles are attractive photo- and electrocatalysts since they show wide array of desired electronic and morphological features, such as highly-developed surface area. In CO2 electrochemical reduction reaction (CO2RR) copper and copper-based nanostructures indicate unique adsorption properties to crucial reaction intermediates. Furthermore, anodized copper-based materials enable formation of C2+ hydrocarbons and alcohols with enhanced selectivity. Moreover, anodic copper oxides provide outstanding turnover frequencies in electrochemical methanol oxidation at lowered overpotentials. Therefore, they can be considered as precious metals electrodes substituents in direct methanol fuel cells. Additionally, due to the presence of Cu(III)/Cu(II) redox couple, these materials find application as electrodes for non-enzymatic glucose sensors. In photoelectrochemistry, Cu2O-CuO heterostructures of anodic copper oxides with highly-developed surface area are attractive for water splitting. All the above-mentioned aspects of anodic copper oxides derived catalysts with state-of-the-art background have been reviewed within this paper. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Materials for Photocatalysis and Energy)
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32 pages, 6074 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in Photocatalytic CO2 Utilisation Over Multifunctional Metal–Organic Frameworks
by Priyanka Verma, Daniel J. Stewart and Robert Raja
Catalysts 2020, 10(10), 1176; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal10101176 - 13 Oct 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 6975
Abstract
The efficient conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to high-value chemicals using renewable solar energy is a highly attractive but very challenging process that is used to address ever-growing energy demands and environmental issues. In recent years, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have received [...] Read more.
The efficient conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to high-value chemicals using renewable solar energy is a highly attractive but very challenging process that is used to address ever-growing energy demands and environmental issues. In recent years, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have received significant research attention owing to their tuneability in terms of their composition, structure, and multifunctional characteristics. The functionalisation of MOFs by metal nanoparticles (NPs) is a promising approach used to enhance their light absorption and photocatalytic activity. The efficient charge separation and strong CO2 binding affinity of hybrid MOF-based photocatalysts facilitate the CO2 conversion process. This review summarises the latest advancements involving noble metal, non-noble-metal, and miscellaneous species functionalised MOF-based hybrid photocatalysts for the reduction of CO2 to carbon monoxide (CO) and other value-added chemicals. The novel synthetic strategies and their corresponding structure–property relationships have also been discussed for solar-to-chemical energy conversion. Furthermore, the current challenges and prospects in practical applications are also highlighted for sustainable energy production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Materials for Photocatalysis and Energy)
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34 pages, 4378 KiB  
Review
Electrochemical Engineering of Nanoporous Materials for Photocatalysis: Fundamentals, Advances, and Perspectives
by Siew Yee Lim, Cheryl Suwen Law, Lina Liu, Marijana Markovic, Carina Hedrich, Robert H. Blick, Andrew D. Abell, Robert Zierold and Abel Santos
Catalysts 2019, 9(12), 988; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal9120988 - 25 Nov 2019
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 5096
Abstract
Photocatalysis comprises a variety of light-driven processes in which solar energy is converted into green chemical energy to drive reactions such as water splitting for hydrogen energy generation, degradation of environmental pollutants, CO2 reduction and NH3 production. Electrochemically engineered nanoporous materials [...] Read more.
Photocatalysis comprises a variety of light-driven processes in which solar energy is converted into green chemical energy to drive reactions such as water splitting for hydrogen energy generation, degradation of environmental pollutants, CO2 reduction and NH3 production. Electrochemically engineered nanoporous materials are attractive photocatalyst platforms for a plethora of applications due to their large effective surface area, highly controllable and tuneable light-harvesting capabilities, efficient charge carrier separation and enhanced diffusion of reactive species. Such tailor-made nanoporous substrates with rational chemical and structural designs provide new exciting opportunities to develop advanced optical semiconductor structures capable of performing precise and versatile control over light–matter interactions to harness electromagnetic waves with unprecedented high efficiency and selectivity for photocatalysis. This review introduces fundamental developments and recent advances of electrochemically engineered nanoporous materials and their application as platforms for photocatalysis, with a final prospective outlook about this dynamic field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Porous Materials for Photocatalysis and Energy)
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