Mineral-Supported Photocatalysts: A Review of Materials, Mechanisms and Environmental Applications

Xue Li, Ulla Simon, Maged F. Bekheet and Aleksander Gurlo
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Xue Li: Chair of Advanced Ceramic Materials, Institute of Material Science and Technology, Faculty III Process Sciences, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany
Ulla Simon: Chair of Advanced Ceramic Materials, Institute of Material Science and Technology, Faculty III Process Sciences, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany
Maged F. Bekheet: Chair of Advanced Ceramic Materials, Institute of Material Science and Technology, Faculty III Process Sciences, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany
Aleksander Gurlo: Chair of Advanced Ceramic Materials, Institute of Material Science and Technology, Faculty III Process Sciences, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-52

Abstract: Although they are of significant importance for environmental applications, the industrialization of photocatalytic techniques still faces many difficulties, and the most urgent concern is cost control. Natural minerals possess abundant chemical inertia and cost-efficiency, which is suitable for hybridizing with various effective photocatalysts. The use of natural minerals in photocatalytic systems can not only significantly decrease the pure photocatalyst dosage but can also produce a favorable synergistic effect between photocatalyst and mineral substrate. This review article discusses the current progress regarding the use of various mineral classes in photocatalytic applications. Owing to their unique structures, large surface area, and negatively charged surface, silicate minerals could enhance the adsorption capacity, reduce particle aggregation, and promote photogenerated electron-hole pair separation for hybrid photocatalysts. Moreover, controlling the morphology and structure properties of these materials could have a great influence on their light-harvesting ability and photocatalytic activity. Composed of silica and alumina or magnesia, some silicate minerals possess unique orderly organized porous or layered structures, which are proper templates to modify the photocatalyst framework. The non-silicate minerals (referred to carbonate and carbon-based minerals, sulfate, and sulfide minerals and other special minerals) can function not only as catalyst supports but also as photocatalysts after special modification due to their unique chemical formula and impurities. The dye-sensitized minerals, as another natural mineral application in photocatalysis, are proved to be superior photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution and wastewater treatment. This work aims to provide a complete research overview of the mineral-supported photocatalysts and summarizes the common synergistic effects between different mineral substrates and photocatalysts as well as to inspire more possibilities for natural mineral application in photocatalysis.

Keywords: photocatalysis; natural mineral support; synergistic effect; dye-sensitization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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