Recent advances in photocatalytic decomposition of water and pollutants for sustainable application.

Photoinduced reduction and oxidation, the important processes in photocatalytic water splitting and organic degradation, have generated increasing interest to address the energy and environmental issues. In this review, the recent developments in bandgap and interfacial engineering for enhanced light absorption, efficient charge separation and interfacial reaction are focused toward the applications in photocatalytic water splitting and organic degradation. In photoinduced reduction for hydrogen evolution, three major strategies are discussed: cocatalysts, sacrificial agents and heterojunctions. In photoinduced oxidation for organic degradation, three types of emerging pollutants of current concerns are highlighted: organic dyes, pharmaceuticals and volatile organic compounds. The key challenges of promising photocatalysts are discussed for future development and practical application.