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Advanced Semiconductor Photocatalysts
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Advanced Semiconductor Photocatalysts

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Photocatalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 5176

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Amr Fouda

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Guest Editor
1. Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo 11884, Egypt
2. School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
Interests: photocatalysis; green synthesis; wastewater treatment; heavy metals and radioactive ions sorption; environmental contaminant degradation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mohammed F. Hamza

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Nuclear Materials Authority, POB 530, El-Maadi, Cairo 11728, Egypt
2. School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
Interests: sorption of radioactive ions; photocatalysis; heavy metal removal; wastewater treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ningchao Zheng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
Interests: photocatalysis; environmental radiochemistry; environment function material; environmental remediation
Prof. Dr. Deqian Zeng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
Interests: photocatalytic hydrogen production; heterojunctions; visible-light photocatalysis; wastewater treatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Photocatalysis is a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and efficient approach integrated into physical, chemical, and biological sciences for removing and degrading different environmental pollutants such as organic contaminants, heavy metals, dyes, radioactive materials, and microbial contaminants under light sources (visible light or UV). The unique features of semiconductor materials such as Si, CdS, Ge, ZnO, TiO2, Fe2O3, etc. make them promising tools in various sectors such as electronic devices, photocatalysis, nanotechnology, and solar cells. The successful construction of semiconductor photocatalysts depends on one or more of the following keys: the excitation rate of photoinduced electron-hole pairs, redox capacity, light absorption efficacy, and semiconductor active sites, catalyst concentrations, and recyclability. The free radicals are produced as a result of the interaction of photoinduced electron-hole pairs with contaminants under light irradiation conditions leading to the production of CO2, H2O, and less harmful substances.

This Special Issue covers recent investigations in semiconductor photocatalysis including different methods for synthesis, applications, and comprehensive mechanism discussions, and it may potentially include the following topics (not limited):

  • Removal of heavy metals under photocatalytic reaction compared to dark conditions;
  • Wastewater treatment;
  • Radioactive materials removal from water samples;
  • Semiconductor photocatalysts and different biological activities;
  • CO2 reduction and clean fuel resources;
  • Water splitting and hydrogen generation;
  • Design and applications of step scheme (S-scheme) heterojunction;
  • Donor-acceptor-based conjugated polymers;
  • Environmental contaminants remediation.

If you would like to submit papers for publication in this Special Issue or have any questions, please contact the in-house Editor, Ms. Georgie Guan (georgie.guan@mdpi.com).

Dr. Amr Fouda
Dr. Mohammed F. Hamza
Prof. Dr. Ningchao Zheng
Prof. Dr. Deqian Zeng
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • semiconductors
  • photocatalytic reaction
  • nanomaterials
  • heavy metals
  • radioactive ions
  • wastewater
  • dyes
  • inorganic and organic pollutants
  • biological activities and photocatalytic mechanisms

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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8 pages, 1453 KB  
Communication
Double-Sided Illuminated Electrospun PAN TiO2-Cu2O Membranes for Enhanced CO2 Photoreduction to Methanol
by Mathieu Grandcolas
Catalysts 2026, 16(1), 107; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010107 - 22 Jan 2026
Viewed by 481
Abstract
Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 into value-added chemicals offers a sustainable route to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions while producing renewable fuels. However, conventional TiO2-based systems suffer from limited visible-light activity and inefficient reactor configurations. Here, we developed electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membranes [...] Read more.
Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 into value-added chemicals offers a sustainable route to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions while producing renewable fuels. However, conventional TiO2-based systems suffer from limited visible-light activity and inefficient reactor configurations. Here, we developed electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membranes embedded with TiO2-Cu2O heterojunction nanoparticles and integrated them into a custom crossflow photocatalytic membrane reactor. The reactor employed bifacial illumination using a solar simulator (front) and a xenon/mercury lamp (back), each calibrated to 1 Sun (100 mW·cm−2). Membrane morphology was characterized by SEM, and chemical composition was confirmed by XPS. Photocatalytic performance was evaluated in CO2-saturated 0.5 M potassium bicarbonate solution under continuous flow. The PAN/ TiO2-Cu2O membrane exhibited a methanol production rate of approximately 300 μmol·g−1·h−1 under dual-light illumination, outperforming single illumination, PAN-TiO2, and PAN controls. Enhanced activity is attributed to extended visible-light absorption, improved charge separation at the TiO2-Cu2O heterojunction, and optimized photon flux through bifacial illumination. The electrospun architecture provided high surface area and porosity, facilitating CO2 adsorption and catalyst dispersion. Combining heterojunction engineering with bifacial reactor design significantly improves solar-driven CO2 conversion. This approach offers a scalable pathway for integrating photocatalysis and membrane technology into sustainable fuel synthesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Semiconductor Photocatalysts)
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14 pages, 2097 KB  
Article
Nb-MOG as a High-Performance Photocatalyst for Cr(VI) Remediation: Optimization and Reuse Cycles
by Eduardo Abreu, Onelia A. A. dos Santos, Maria E. K. Fuziki, Angelo M. Tusset, Michel Z. Fidelis, Artur J. Motheo and Giane G. Lenzi
Catalysts 2026, 16(1), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010060 - 4 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 732
Abstract
This study describes the removal of Cr(VI) using Nb-MOG (Niobium Metal–Organic Gel) as a photocatalyst. The characterization was performed using various techniques: Scanning Electron Microscopy–Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM–EDS), Point charge zero charge (PZC) determination, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) [...] Read more.
This study describes the removal of Cr(VI) using Nb-MOG (Niobium Metal–Organic Gel) as a photocatalyst. The characterization was performed using various techniques: Scanning Electron Microscopy–Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM–EDS), Point charge zero charge (PZC) determination, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TG). The characterization results indicated an amorphous structure with predominance of Nb on the catalytic surface. Photoreduction tests were performed under different experimental conditions, following a two-factor central composite design with 11 experiments—including triplicates of the central point—to evaluate the influence of catalyst concentration (0.146 to 0.854 g L−1) and pH (1.46 to 8.54) on the Cr(VI) removal efficiency after 60 min of photocatalytic treatment. Experimentally, complete Cr(VI) removal was achieved at pH 5.00 using 0.854 g·L−1 of Nb-MOG, and the response surface analysis indicated optimal performance at higher catalyst concentrations and pH values around 5.00. In contrast, lower efficiencies were observed at extreme pH values, particularly at higher pH and lower catalyst concentrations. These results suggest that the photocatalytic performance of Nb-MOG for Cr(VI) removal is very susceptible to operating conditions, underscoring the importance of optimizing pH and catalyst concentration for effective treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Semiconductor Photocatalysts)
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24 pages, 3268 KB  
Article
Photocatalytic Activity of Green-Synthesized Semiconductor CuO/ZnO Nanocomposites Against Organic Dye: An Assessment of Antimicrobial and Cytotoxicity Investigations
by Amr Fouda, Sultan M. Alsharif, Ahmed M. Eid, Abeer S. Albalawi, Mohamed A. Amin, Faisal A. Alraddadi, Abeer M. Almutrafy, Duaa A. Bukhari, Noura A. Algamdi and Mohamed Ali Abdel-Rahman
Catalysts 2025, 15(12), 1096; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15121096 - 21 Nov 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1503
Abstract
In this paper, by employing an eco-friendly and green approach, semiconductor CuO/ZnO nanocomposite are synthesized using an aqueous extract of Urtica urens. FT-IR, XRD, TEM, SAED, EDX, TGA, and UV-Vis spectroscopy were used for semiconductor characterization. The data revealed the successful formation [...] Read more.
In this paper, by employing an eco-friendly and green approach, semiconductor CuO/ZnO nanocomposite are synthesized using an aqueous extract of Urtica urens. FT-IR, XRD, TEM, SAED, EDX, TGA, and UV-Vis spectroscopy were used for semiconductor characterization. The data revealed the successful formation of crystalline spherical nanocomposites with sizes ranging from 5 to 45 nm. The main components of the synthesized nanocomposites were Cu, Zn, and O, which had different weights and atomic percentages. The maximum absorbance of nanocomposites was 358 nm, with a direct bandgap of 2.25 eV, which is suitable for photocatalysis under visible light. The maximum photocatalytic activity of the synthesized semiconductor nanocomposites for photodegradation of methylene blue dye was 95.8%, where it was 44.5% and 65.5% for monometallic CuO and ZnO, respectively. The optimum conditions for maximum photocatalytic activity were a pH of 9, a dye concentration of 5 mg L−1, and nanocomposite concentration of 1.0 mg mL−1 after 70 min. The reusability of the synthesized semiconductor was promising for the fourth cycle, with a reduced capacity of 5%. Complementary investigations, antimicrobial activity and cytotoxic activity, were performed to increase the application of semiconductor nanocomposites. The data revealed the promising activity of the nanocomposite against E. coli, P. aeruginosa, B. subtilis, S. aureus, C. parapsilosis, C. albicans, and C. tropicalis with low MICs ranging between 50 and 25 µg mL−1. Additionally, compared with normal cell line, the synthesized nanocomposite targeted the cancer cell line HepG2 with a low IC50 value of 69.9 µg mL−1 (vs. IC50 220 µg mL−1 of normal cell line HFB4). Overall, the green-synthesized semiconductor CuO/ZnO nanocomposite showed promising activity as environmental contaminant cleaner and was integrated with antimicrobial and in vitro cytotoxic activities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Semiconductor Photocatalysts)
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Review

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40 pages, 3986 KB  
Review
Electrochemical Synthesis of TiO2 Nanotubes for Photocatalytic Water Splitting: Mechanisms, Challenges, and Improvement Strategies
by Hamed Namdar-Asl, Farzaneh Shiran-Jang, Leila Fathyunes, M. A. Mohtadi-Bonab and Sadegh Pour-Ali
Catalysts 2025, 15(12), 1155; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15121155 - 5 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1938
Abstract
Nowadays, due to strategic reasons such as the importance of energy and environmental protection, the demand for alternatives to fossil fuels has surged. Hydrogen is considered a suitable and potential alternative energy source, promoting the development of various production technologies. However, conventional technologies [...] Read more.
Nowadays, due to strategic reasons such as the importance of energy and environmental protection, the demand for alternatives to fossil fuels has surged. Hydrogen is considered a suitable and potential alternative energy source, promoting the development of various production technologies. However, conventional technologies for hydrogen production generate a large amount of CO2 greenhouse gases, contributing to serious environmental issues. In recent decades, TiO2 nanotubes have emerged as effective photocatalysts for electrode reactions involving water splitting, resulting in hydrogen production. These photocatalysts utilize readily available resources: water as the raw material and sunlight as the energy source. Despite their potential, TiO2 nanotubes face substantial challenges, including a large energy gap resulting in very low electrical conductivity, along with the recombination of electrons and electron holes during the water splitting reaction. These issues present considerable obstacles to the integration of these materials into the industrial cycle of new energy production, particularly hydrogen generation. Currently, the challenges and potential solutions associated with TiO2 have made it one of the most extensively researched materials worldwide. In this review, the status of photocatalysts based on TiO2 nanotubes is examined, highlighting the main challenges in this field and the proposed solutions to address these obstacles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Semiconductor Photocatalysts)
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