Xenes-based heterostructure for photocatalytic energy conversion and environmental remediation: A review

Abstract

As industrialization and population growth continue to escalate, the severe issues of energy shortages and environmental degradation have garnered increasing concern. Undoubtedly, photocatalysis, as an emerging technology capable of rapidly removing pollutants or facilitating "green" energy conversion, has become a promising strategy for addressing these challenges.The burgeoning domain of two-dimensional (2D) monoelemental materials, commonly referred to as Xenes, has attracted significant interest within the field of photocatalysis due to their graphene-like 2D architecture and unique properties. These novel 2D monoelemental materials encompass a diverse array of elements spanning from group IIIB to VIA in the periodic table, including borophene, silicene, and phosphorene. Nevertheless, the rapid recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes, coupled with inherent defects in certain 2D Xenes, continue to impede their practical applications. To address these challenges, the utilization of heterostructures based on 2D Xenes has garnered widespread attention and been widely employed as an enhanced strategy. By strategically pairing different semiconductors, Xenes-based heterostructures (composed of the Xene and other nanomaterials) can ingeniously integrate the functions of different materials while manipulating their internal transfer of carriers to suppress electron-hole recombination. Herein, a review of the research progress on 2D Xenes and their heterostructures in the field of energy and environmental application. Specifically, the different charge transfer mechanisms of heterostructures based on 2D monoelemental materials are compared, and the related applications of photocatalysis are discussed. This review aims to outline a sustainable energy solution and environmental governance strategy by utilizing 2D Xenes-based materials, further providing a highly anticipated roadmap for the development of next-generation high-performance photocatalysts.