Novel Structures and Applications of Graphene-Based Semiconductor Photocatalysts: Faceted Particles, Photonic Crystals, Antimicrobial and Magnetic Properties

Abstract

Graphene, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide and their composites with various compounds/materials have high potential for substantial impact as cheap photocatalysts, which is essential to meet the demands of global activity, offering the advantage of utilizing “green” solar energy. Accordingly, graphene-based materials might help to reduce reliance on fossil fuel supplies and facile remediation routes to achieve clean environment and pure water. This review presents recent developments of graphene-based semiconductor photocatalysts, including novel composites with faceted particles, photonic crystals, and nanotubes/nanowires, where the enhancement of activity mechanism is associated with a synergistic effect resulting from the presence of graphene structure. Moreover, antimicrobial potential (highly needed these days), and facile recovery/reuse of photocatalysts by magnetic field have been addresses as very important issue for future commercialization. It is believed that graphene materials should be available soon in the market, especially because of constantly decreasing prices of graphene, vis response, excellent charge transfer ability, and thus high and broad photocatalytic activity against both organic pollutants and microorganisms.

The Functional and Application Possibilities of Starch/Chitosan Polymer Composites Modified by Graphene Oxide

“…It has high thermal and electrical conductivity, provides a barrier against gases and has the ability to absorb visible and near-infrared light [ 22 , 23 ]. It can also be easily stretched and coated on the surface of various materials and in different forms, and recent studies have also confirmed its bactericidal and bacteriostatic properties [ 6 , 24 , 25 ]. These unique properties mean that graphene has great potential and it has already been successfully applied in many fields, such as the automotive industry, aerospace, electrical engineering, robotics, solar cells, energy storage, telecommunications, biochemistry and medicine [ 22 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ].…”

Application of Spinel and Hexagonal Ferrites in Heterogeneous Photocatalysis

“…What is more important, the photogenerated electrons can migrate only from ferrite to carbon material. In this regard, the main shortcoming of a ferrite-based photocatalyst, i.e., photobleaching, is inhibited [63].…”

Can photocatalysis help in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic?

“…Accordingly, the co-infection awareness in relation to COVID-19 disease has forced researchers to look for possible solutions, obviously including methods that have already been applied to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi or as antiviral agent (e.g., carbon-based nanomaterials) [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. For example, photocatalysis has proven to be highly efficient to inactivate various microorganisms, resulting even in their complete decomposition (mineralization) [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ].…”