College of Energy and Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai University of Electric Power, Shanghai, 200090, P. R. China.
Shanghai Non-Carbon Energy Conversion and Utilization Institute, Shanghai, 200090, P. R. China.
Small. 2023 Jun;19(22):e2300460. doi: 10.1002/smll.202300460. Epub 2023 Feb 28.
Photocatalysis driven by solar energy is a feasible strategy to alleviate energy crises and environmental problems. In recent years, significant progress has been made in developing advanced photocatalysts for efficient solar-to-chemical energy conversion. Single-atom catalysts have the advantages of highly dispersed active sites, maximum atomic utilization, unique coordination environment, and electronic structure, which have become a research hotspot in heterogeneous photocatalysis. This paper introduces the potential supports, preparation, and characterization methods of single-atom photocatalysts in detail. Subsequently, the fascinating effects of single-atom photocatalysts on three critical steps of photocatalysis (the absorption of incident light to produce electron-hole pairs, carrier separation and migration, and interface reactions) are analyzed. At the same time, the applications of single-atom photocatalysts in energy conversion and environmental protection (CO reduction, water splitting, N fixation, organic macromolecule reforming, air pollutant removal, and water pollutant degradation) are systematically summarized. Finally, the opportunities and challenges of single-atom catalysts in heterogeneous photocatalysis are discussed. It is hoped that this work can provide insights into the design, synthesis, and application of single-atom photocatalysts and promote the development of high-performance photocatalytic systems.
光催化技术利用太阳能是缓解能源危机和环境问题的一种可行策略。近年来，在开发用于高效太阳能转化为化学能的先进光催化剂方面取得了重大进展。单原子催化剂具有高分散活性位点、最大原子利用率、独特的配位环境和电子结构等优点，已成为多相光催化领域的研究热点。本文详细介绍了单原子光催化剂的潜在载体、制备和表征方法。随后，分析了单原子光催化剂对光催化三个关键步骤（吸收入射光产生电子-空穴对、载流子分离和迁移以及界面反应）的迷人影响。同时，系统总结了单原子光催化剂在能源转化和环境保护（CO 还原、水分解、N 固定、有机大分子重整、空气污染物去除和水污染降解）中的应用。最后，讨论了单原子催化剂在多相光催化中的机遇和挑战。希望这项工作能为单原子光催化剂的设计、合成和应用提供新的思路，推动高性能光催化体系的发展。
