TiO2-Based Catalysts with Various Structures for Photocatalytic Application: A Review

Abstract

TiO2-based catalysts with various surface heterostructures (0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D) have been widely researched owing to their cost-effectiveness, high stability, and environmentally friendly nature, and can be used for many applications in various fields, including hydrogen production and pollutant degradation. However, there are also many existing problems limiting their practical application, such as their large band gap and rapid electron–hole recombination rate. Owing to the abundance of recent achievements in materials science, we will summarize the recent structural engineering strategies which provide favorable photocatalytic activity enhancements, such as enhanced visible light absorption, stability, an increased charge–carrier separation rate and improved specific surface area. Among the various structural engineering methods in this review, we will introduce TiO2-based materials with different dimensional structures. Meanwhile, we also discuss recent achievements in synthesis methods and application of TiO2-based catalysts in various fields. We aim to display a comprehensive overview which can be a guide for the development of a new generation of TiO2-based catalysts according to their structural design for enhanced solar energy conversion.