Photocatalysts with internal electric fields.

By Li Li, Paul A. Salvador, G. Rohrer. Nanoscale, 2014

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The photocatalytic activity of materials for water splitting is limited by the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs as well as the back-reaction of intermediate species. This review concentrates on the use of electric fields within catalyst particles to mitigate the effects of recombination and back-reaction and to increase photochemical reactivity. Internal electric fields in photocatalysts can arise from ferroelectric phenomena, p-n junctions, polar surface terminations, and polymorph junctions. The manipulation of internal fields through the creation of charged interfaces in hierarchically structured materials is a promising strategy for the design of improved photocatalysts.

Subfields: Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/cad6ce1c8e6fddac98bb91a38e150fa8fdbf8092