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Inorganics
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Nanocomposites for Photocatalysis, 2nd Edition
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Nanocomposites for Photocatalysis, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Inorganics (ISSN 2304-6740). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 3252

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alejandro Pérez-Larios

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Guest Editor
Materials, Water and Energy Research Laboratory, Engineering Department, University of Guadalajara Campus Altos, No. 1200, Av. Rafael Casillas Aceves, Tepatitlán 47600, Mexico
Interests: photocatalysis; photocatalyst; hydrogen production; TiO2 nanocomposite; biomaterials; nanomedicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Mamoun Fellah

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Mechanical Engineering Department, Abbes Laghrour University, Khenchela 40004, Algeria
Interests: wear testing; material characterization; mechanical properties; biomaterial science; biomaterial engineering; materials; biomaterial degradation; biomaterial banks; biomaterial functionalization; biomaterial applications; biomaterial coating
Prof. Dr. Naouel Hezil

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Matter Sciences Department, Abbes Laghrour University, Khenchela 40004, Algeria
Interests: inorganic chemistry; organic chemistry; polymers; water treatment; nano composite Koilin; materials science

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to welcome you to our Special Issue of Inorganics, titled “Nanocomposites for Photocatalysis, 2nd Edition”. As you all know, photocatalysis has become one of the key areas within the catalysis field. There are many materials with photocatalytic applications, such as semiconductors (mixed oxides or nanocomposites), semiconductor-based heterojunctions (micro/nano composite structures, binary or ternary hybrid structures, etc.), and many other nanocomposite materials and waste-derived or templated photocatalytic materials. Therefore, contributions highlighting such mechanistic details are highly welcome. Moreover, a photocatalyst often requires the presence of one or even several so-called co-catalysts to enable desired chemical conversions. Given the success of the first edition of this Special Issue, a second volume was launched, seeking to gather research articles on the roles of nanocomposites in photocatalytic processes to this Special Issue.

Other areas for which high-level contributions are needed—but are by no means limited to—include plasmonic photocatalysis, nanocomposite materials, photocatalytic synthesis, solar fuels, theoretical modeling of photocatalytic processes, photoreactor and reaction engineering, non-linear optical effects, decontamination and disinfection, and pilot and full-scale applications.

Dr. Alejandro Pérez-Larios
Prof. Dr. Mamoun Fellah
Prof. Dr. Naouel Hezil
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Inorganics 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

  • photocatalytic materials
  • photocatalysis technology
  • wastewater treatment
  • water disinfection
  • air purification
  • hydrogen production

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2784 KiB  
Article
Preparation and Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production of Pink ZnS
by Shangjie Gao, Yongxin Lu, Teng Ma, Haixia Liu and Jie Zhang
Inorganics 2025, 13(5), 166; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13050166 - 15 May 2025
Viewed by 157
Abstract
With the continuous growth of global energy demand and the increasingly severe environmental issues, the extensive utilization of traditional fossil fuels has led to serious energy crises and environmental pollution problems. In this study, a hydrothermal method was employed, and by adding ethanolamine [...] Read more.
With the continuous growth of global energy demand and the increasingly severe environmental issues, the extensive utilization of traditional fossil fuels has led to serious energy crises and environmental pollution problems. In this study, a hydrothermal method was employed, and by adding ethanolamine and controlling different temperatures, pink zinc sulfide with zinc vacancies was synthesized. UV-Vis DRS analysis indicated that the sample exhibited significant visible light absorption characteristics within the wavelength range of 500–550 nm. The presence of zinc vacancies was confirmed through XPS. Due to the existence of zinc vacancies, the sample demonstrated excellent photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity without the need for co-catalysts, with the optimal sample achieving a hydrogen evolution rate of 7631.70 μmol h−1 g−1. Zinc vacancies can provide additional active sites, enhance catalytic efficiency, and promote the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. Furthermore, the introduction of vacancies effectively reduces the bandgap of the material, significantly broadening its visible light absorption range. This work provides a new approach for enhancing hydrogen evolution in pure ZnS and offers novel strategies for the further design of ZnS-related photocatalysts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocomposites for Photocatalysis, 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 5155 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Tetracycline Modification Based on g-C3N4 Photocatalytic Degradation
by Jinghang Li, Qi Shi, Chaoyu Song, Chenxi Shi and Yuguang Lv
Inorganics 2025, 13(3), 77; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13030077 - 7 Mar 2025
Viewed by 617
Abstract
To address challenges in antibiotic wastewater treatment, we synthesized a series of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)-based photocatalysts (BCN, PCN, TCN, BTCN, and TCNE-modified PTCN) via defect engineering. TCNE modification disrupted the triazine ring-bridging amino network in PTCN, forming a [...] Read more.
To address challenges in antibiotic wastewater treatment, we synthesized a series of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)-based photocatalysts (BCN, PCN, TCN, BTCN, and TCNE-modified PTCN) via defect engineering. TCNE modification disrupted the triazine ring-bridging amino network in PTCN, forming a porous structure with enhanced specific surface area validated by SEM/TEM while retaining the graphene-like framework confirmed by XRD/FTIR. Photoluminescence (PL) analysis revealed prolonged photogenerated carrier lifetime and improved separation efficiency in PTCN, achieving 89.10% degradation of chlortetracycline hydrochloride under visible light—1.65-fold higher than pristine g-C3N4. Mechanistic studies identified superoxide radicals (•O2−) as dominant active species, generated via O2 activation at defect sites and efficient electron-hole utilization. Optimized conditions enabled PTCN to maintain high activity across a broad pH range and retain 82.59% efficiency after five cycles. This work advances defect-engineered photocatalyst design for adaptable, high-performance antibiotic degradation, offering practical insights for wastewater remediation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocomposites for Photocatalysis, 2nd Edition)
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14 pages, 2604 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Photocatalytic Activity: Impact of Hydrophilic Properties on TiO2 and ZrO2 Thin Films
by Yuliana de Jesús Acosta-Silva, Misael Ian Lugo-Arredondo, Salvador Gallardo-Hernández, Juan Fernando Garcia-Trejo, Yasuhiro Matsumoto, Sandra Rivas, Ana Angélica Feregrino-Pérez, Luis A. Godínez and Arturo Méndez-López
Inorganics 2024, 12(12), 320; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics12120320 - 10 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1064
Abstract
Thin films (TFs) of TiO2 and ZrO2 were prepared and characterized to evaluate their structural and optical (SO) properties and, later, to test their efficiency for the photocatalytic degradation (PD) of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution. The X-ray diffraction patterns [...] Read more.
Thin films (TFs) of TiO2 and ZrO2 were prepared and characterized to evaluate their structural and optical (SO) properties and, later, to test their efficiency for the photocatalytic degradation (PD) of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution. The X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the TiO2 TFs had an anatase crystalline structure, unlike the ZrO2 TFs, which showed a tetragonal crystalline structure that was verified by Raman spectroscopy. The band gap (BG) energies, as calculated from UV-Vis spectroscopy and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, corresponded to 3.2 and 3.7 eV for the TiO2 and ZrO2 TFs, respectively. SEM examination of the obtained materials was also carried out to assess the surface morphology and topography. The comparative study of the FTIR spectra of the TiO2 and ZrO2 TFs successfully confirmed the composition of the two-metal oxide TFs. The electrical properties of the films were studied by conductivity measurements. The two films also showed a similar thickness of about 200 nm and a substantially different photocatalytic performance for the discoloration of MB in aqueous solution. The corresponding rate constants, as obtained from a pseudo-first-order kinetic model, revealed that TiO2 films promote color removal of the model dye solution almost 20 times faster than the rate observed for ZrO2 modified glass substrates. We suggest that this difference may be related to the hydrophilic character of the two films under study, which may affect the charge carrier injection process and, therefore, the overall photocatalytic performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocomposites for Photocatalysis, 2nd Edition)
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Review

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40 pages, 7391 KiB  
Review
Preparation Methods and Photocatalytic Performance of Kaolin-Based Ceramic Composites with Selected Metal Oxides (ZnO, CuO, MgO): A Comparative Review
by Dikra Bouras, Lotfi Khezami, Regis Barille, Neçar Merah, Billel Salhi, Gamal A. El-Hiti, Ahlem Guesmi and Mamoun Fellah
Inorganics 2025, 13(5), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13050162 - 13 May 2025
Viewed by 430
Abstract
The current review examines various methods for preparing photocatalytic materials based on ceramic substrates, with a focus on incorporating metal oxides such as ZnO, CuO, and MgO. This study compares traditional mixing, co-precipitation, sol–gel, and autoclave methods for synthesizing these materials. Kaolin-based ceramics [...] Read more.
The current review examines various methods for preparing photocatalytic materials based on ceramic substrates, with a focus on incorporating metal oxides such as ZnO, CuO, and MgO. This study compares traditional mixing, co-precipitation, sol–gel, and autoclave methods for synthesizing these materials. Kaolin-based ceramics (DD3 and DD3 with 38% ZrO2) from Guelma, Algeria, were used as substrates. This review highlights the effects of different preparation methods on the structural, morphological, and compositional properties of the resulting photocatalysts. Additionally, the potential of these materials for the photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes, specifically Orange II, was evaluated. Results indicated that ceramic/ZnO/CuO and ceramic/MgO powders prepared via traditional mixing and co-precipitation techniques exhibited significantly faster degradation rates under visible light than Cu layers deposited on ceramic substrates using solution gradient processes. This enhancement was attributed to the increased effective surface area and the size of the spherical nanoparticles obtained through these methods, which facilitated accelerated pollutant absorption. This study highlights the ease and cost-effectiveness of preparing robust layers on ceramic substrates, which are advantageous for photocatalytic applications due to their straightforward removal after filtration. Notably, DD3Z/MgO powders demonstrated superior catalytic activity, achieving complete degradation of the organic dye in just 10 min, whereas DD3Z/ZnO-CuO powders achieved 93.6% degradation after 15 min. Additionally, experiments using kaolin-based ceramics as substrates instead of powders yielded a maximum dye decomposition rate of 77.76% over 6 h using ZnO thin layers prepared via the autoclave method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocomposites for Photocatalysis, 2nd Edition)
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