Oxyhalide Materials in Photocatalysis

Dear Colleagues,

Photocatalysis is a promising green solution for major problems concerning energy and environmental issues in our modern society. In recent decades, Bi, Ti, Zn, Nb, ... based photocatalytic nanomaterials have displayed great prospects for environmental protection and energy management by the decomposition of toxic pollutants (volatile organic compounds, organic molecules, polymer or biological substances) in water or air under solar light irradiation, but also by water splitting, CO₂ conversion, etc. Among them, oxyhalide-based materials such as BiOX (X = F, Cl, Br, and I), Bi₄MO₈X (M = Nb and Ta, X = Cl, Br, and I), Bi₅PbTi₃O₁₄Cl, TiO2:F and TiOF₂, NbO₂F and Nb₃O₇F, Ta₃O₇F and TaO₂F, Zn(OH)₂−xFx, Pb₂Ti₂O_5.4F_1.2, etc.have sparked substantial interest as economical and efficient photocatalysts.

This Special Issue is devoted to the applications of oxyhalide-based materials in photocatalysis. Their physicochemical properties, mainly their energy band structures and their structures with an internal electric field (as in the case of layered BiOX compounds), are responsible for visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance improvement. Consequently, the exponential growth of studies on BiOX and Bi₄MO₈X photocatalysts has been seen in recent years for instance. Special attention has been paid to the (nano)-structuration of this series of compounds, the formation of heterojunctions, composites, or mixtures with plasmonic nanoparticles. Tremendous progress in the control of the size, shape, and morphology of particles and their retrieval and reuse, etc. has increased their potential for heterogeneous photocatalytic transformations and applications in greener and sustainable processes. This progress makes them ideal systems for industrial practicability. Review and original research papers are invited that cover fundamental topics concerning oxyhalide-based photocatalysts and their potential applications in environmental issues (pollutant and contaminant degradation and heavy metals reduction) or energy issues (H₂, CO₂ conversion …). 

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

1. Recent developments in advanced oxyhalide-based materials (with Bi but not only): nanostructured catalysts, heterojunctions, thin films, hierarchization and self-assembly, hybrid photocatalysts, doping, the addition of plasmonic nanoparticles, photosensitization, etc.
2. Oxyhalide-based catalysts for greener and sustainable processes: oxidation and reduction reactions by catalysts, and water and air treatment
3. Energy production: photoelectrochemistry, water splitting, H₂ production, and CO₂ conversion
4. Advanced Methods for characterizations and structural investigations; in-situ and operando characterizations
5. Retrievable and reusable oxyhalide catalysts
6. Simulation and modelling approaches: kinetics, molecular approaches, and electronic structure

Prof. Dr. Pierre Bonnet
Dr. Sujuan Wu
Guest Editors

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