Heterojunction-Based Photocatalysts and Photoelectrodes for Water Splitting and CO₂ Reduction: From Fundamentals to Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical processes have been intensively studied for almost 50 years, and the scientific interest in these areas is still growing. The main reason is the great potential to enable, ideally under solar illumination, a variety of reactions of environmental relevance in the current energy scenario, such as the generation of H₂ by water splitting and the reduction of greenhouse gas CO₂ to hydrocarbons. Key elements towards high reaction yields are efficient separation and swift transfer of photo-generated charge carriers to reactants. For this, numerous materials have been explored, often in the form of nanostructured semiconductor and metal composites.

The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight current research on heterojunction-based photocatalysts and photoelectrodes for H₂ generation and CO₂ reduction, with focus on issues that still drastically hamper their performance. In this context, significant advancement lies in further understanding of aspects related to surface structural requirements and their relationship to bulk properties. The electronic properties of, e.g., semiconductor/semiconductor or metal/semiconductor interfaces, the role of metal and metal oxides clusters in charge transfer or, at a more fundamental level, the engineering of orbital overlap between reactants and the semiconductor surfaces, and the associated charge lifetime and charge transfer reaction kinetics are deemed essential to improve photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical efficiencies.

In addition, the development of advanced nanostructuring tools that enable precise morphological control over heterojunction formation is also of crucial importance to maximize light harvesting, for instance by the design of photonic band gap and plasmonic materials, and metamaterials. Additionally, site-specific cocatalyst placement at the semiconductor surface and surface-structure electronic effects on charge transfer (such as changes in work function and electric field) are important parameters requiring further attention.

These are some of the key concepts and topics within the scope of this Special Issue, which is open to original research articles, and also to reviews that target a critical viewpoint in the field.

Dr. Marco Altomare
Dr. Roland Marschall
Prof. Dr. Hicham Idriss
Guest Editors

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