Design of Advanced Functional Materials Using Nanoporous Single‐Site Photocatalysts

Abstract

Nanoporous silica solids can offer opportunities for hosting photocatalytic components such as various tetra‐coordinated transition metal ions to form systems referred to as “single‐site photocatalysts”. Under UV/visible‐light irradiation, they form charge transfer excited states, which exhibit a localized charge separation and thus behave differently from those of bulk semiconductor photocatalysts exemplified by TiO2. This account presents an overview of the design of advanced functional materials based on the unique photo‐excited mechanisms of single‐site photocatalysts. Firstly, the incorporation of single‐site photocatalysts within transparent porous silica films will be introduced, which exhibit not only unique photocatalytic properties, but also high surface hydrophilicity with self‐cleaning and antifogging applications. Secondary, photo‐assisted deposition (PAD) of metal precursors on single‐site photocatalysts opens up a new route to prepare nanoparticles. Thirdly, visible light sensitive photocatalysts with single and/or binary oxides moieties can be prepared so as to use solar light, the ideal energy source.

Measures against Infection in Facilities Using Air Catalysts

“…With those catalysts, a catalytic reaction takes place as light hits titanium oxide (TiO 2 ). Universities and research institutes have been studying photocatalysts for about 50 years, and products applying this technology have already been developed in many fields [15,16,17]. On the other hand, there have been few scientific reports on air catalysts so far, and their effects are still unknown.…”

Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Films: Synthesis Approaches, Factors Affecting Environmental Activity, and Characterization Features

“…When a semiconductor is brought near a grafted metal, it encounters these intense electric fields, leading to the rapid formation of e --h + pairs in the semiconductor. Such phenomena have been exploited successfully in films activated by sunlight by using Cu [45], Au [46][47][48], and Ag [49][50][51]. It is worth noting that the electromagnetic near field at the plasmon resonance decreases rapidly, within 100 nm [52] from the plasmonic metal surface, effectively promoting surface reactions rather than generating charge carriers in the bulk of the material.…”

Design of Plasmonic Catalysts Utilizing Nanostructures

“…This study employed pure SBA-15 as a support material. In another strategy, an Ag-based plasmonic catalyst was supported on Ti-containing mesoporous sili-ca 23), 24) . X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed that the binding energies of Ag shifted towards lower values by the incorporation of isolated and tetrahedrally coordinated single-site Ti-oxide moieties.…”