Chen Ruotian, Fan Fengtao, Li Can
State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan Road 457, Dalian, 116023, China.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2022 Apr 11;61(16):e202117567. doi: 10.1002/anie.202117567. Epub 2022 Feb 21.
The photocatalytic conversion of solar energy offers a potential route to renewable energy, and its efficiency relies on effective charge separation in nanostructured photocatalysts. Understanding the charge-separation mechanism is key to improving the photocatalytic performance and this has now been enabled by advances in the spatially resolved surface photovoltage (SRSPV) method. In this Review we highlight progress made by SRSPV in mapping charge distributions at the nanoscale and determining the driving forces of charge separation in heterogeneous photocatalyst particles. We discuss how charge separation arising from a built-in electric field, diffusion, and trapping can be exploited and optimized through photocatalyst design. We also highlight the importance of asymmetric engineering of photocatalysts for effective charge separation. Finally, we provide an outlook on further opportunities that arise from leveraging these insights to guide the rational design of photocatalysts and advance the imaging technique to expand the knowledge of charge separation.
太阳能的光催化转化为可再生能源提供了一条潜在途径，其效率依赖于纳米结构光催化剂中有效的电荷分离。理解电荷分离机制是提高光催化性能的关键，而空间分辨表面光电压（SRSPV）方法的进展现已使这一点成为可能。在本综述中，我们重点介绍了SRSPV在绘制纳米级电荷分布以及确定异质光催化剂颗粒中电荷分离驱动力方面所取得的进展。我们讨论了如何通过光催化剂设计来利用和优化由内建电场、扩散和俘获引起的电荷分离。我们还强调了光催化剂不对称工程对于有效电荷分离的重要性。最后，我们展望了利用这些见解来指导光催化剂的合理设计并推进成像技术以扩展电荷分离知识所带来的更多机遇。
