While phthalate esters are commonly used as plasticizers to improve the flexibility and workability of polymeric materials, their presence and detection in various environments has become a significant concern. Phthalate esters are known to have endocrine-disrupting effects, which affects reproductive health and physical development. As a result, there is now increased focus and urgency to develop effective and energy efficient technologies capable of removing these harmful compounds from the environment. This review explores the use of semiconductor photocatalysis as an efficient and promising solution towards achieving removal and degradation of phthalate esters. A comprehensive review of photocatalysts reported in the literature demonstrates the range of materials including commercial TiO2, solar activated catalysts and composite materials capable of enhancing adsorption and degradation. The degradation pathways and kinetics are also considered to provide the reader with an insight into the photocatalytic mechanism of removal. In addition, through the use of two key platforms (the technology readiness level scale and electrical energy per order), the crucial parameters associated with advancing photocatalysis for phthalate ester removal are discussed. These include enhanced surface interaction, catalyst platform development, improved light delivery systems and overall system energy requirements with a view towards pilot scale and industrial deployment.

Dual-photoresponsive coordination polymer displaying color-distinguishable radical states has been obtained based on the synergism of photocycloaddition and photoinduced electron transfer reactions.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an important chemical as it is an environmentally friendly oxidant for organic synthesis and environmental remediation as well as a promising candidate for the liquid fuel. Photocatalytic generation of H2O2 is sustainable, and many efforts have been put into the development of new catalysts to gain high H2O2 yields. In this investigation, Au/ZnO, Ag/ZnO and Au-Ag/ZnO catalysts were prepared by the simultaneous impregnation of HAuCl4 and AgNO3 and they were used to generate H2O2 from a methanol/O2 system. It was demonstrated that Au/ZnO had the best performance at generating H2O2. The presence of Au on ZnO accelerated the generation of H2O2 on ZnO and facilitated H2O2 adsorption onto the catalyst surface, which resulted in the reaction kinetics changing from zero-order to first-order. Ag atoms on Ag/ZnO were unstable and would strip from the surface of ZnO during irradiation, decreasing the yield of H2O2. The stabilization of Ag on Au-Ag/ZnO depended on the ratio of Au and Ag. Au0.1Ag0.2/ZnO was a stable catalyst and it showed that the presence of Ag promoted the formation and decomposition of peroxide, simultaneously.

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