Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Hierarchical triphase diffusion photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical gas/liquid flow conversion

Researchers developed a new type of electrode that uses layered, porous fibers to improve how gas, liquid, and solid materials interact during solar-powered chemical reactions. The design achieved a 16-fold improvement in methane conversion rate, offering a more efficient approach for using sunlight to drive industrial chemical processes.

2023 Nature Communications 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Hybrid Semiconductor Photocatalyst Nanomaterials for Energy and Environmental Applications: Fundamentals, Designing, and Prospects

This review covers the development of hybrid semiconductor nanomaterials that use light energy to drive useful chemical reactions, including breaking down pollutants and producing clean fuels. Researchers found that combining semiconductors with metals or carbon-based materials creates surfaces that absorb light and transfer electrical charge more efficiently. The study suggests these hybrid photocatalysts hold strong promise for addressing both energy and environmental challenges.

2023 Advanced Sustainable Systems 92 citations
Article Tier 2

Photoelectrocatalytic organic synthesis: a versatile method for the green production of building-block chemicals

This review examined photoelectrocatalytic organic synthesis as a versatile and sustainable method for producing building-block chemicals, addressing the rising energy crisis and environmental concerns associated with conventional synthetic approaches.

2023 Journal of Materials Chemistry A 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Chemoenzymatic Photoreforming: A Sustainable Approach for Solar-fuel Generation from Plastic Feedstocks

Researchers developed a hybrid process combining enzyme pretreatment with solar-driven photoreforming to convert polyester plastic waste into clean hydrogen fuel and valuable chemicals under mild conditions. This approach offers a way to clean up plastic pollution while generating renewable energy simultaneously.

2023 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Building a bridge from solid wastes to solar fuels and chemicals via artificial photosynthesis

This review examined photoreforming (PR) as a process that converts solid plastic and other waste materials into hydrogen fuel and value-added chemicals using solar energy, combining waste remediation with clean fuel production. The authors assessed photocatalyst design strategies that enable efficient PR of diverse waste streams including polyethylene and polypropylene.

2022 EcoMat 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Chemoenzymatic Photoreforming: A Sustainable Approach for Solar Fuel Generation from Plastic Feedstocks

Researchers developed a process combining enzyme treatment with solar-powered chemistry to break down polyester plastics into clean hydrogen fuel and valuable chemicals. The enzymatic step first breaks the plastic into smaller molecules under mild conditions, and then sunlight drives the conversion into useful products. The study demonstrates a sustainable way to upcycle plastic waste, including nanoplastics, using renewable energy rather than harsh industrial processes.

2023 Journal of the American Chemical Society 82 citations
Article Tier 2

State of the art in the photochemical degradation of (micro)plastics: from fundamental principles to catalysts and applications

This review summarizes research on the photochemical degradation of plastics and microplastics into value-added products and intermediates via photocatalysis. The study covers fundamental principles and catalytic approaches for breaking down plastic pollutants that are otherwise difficult to degrade in the environment.

2023 Journal of Materials Chemistry A 94 citations
Article Tier 2

Artificial photosynthesis bringing new vigor into plastic wastes

This review explores how artificial photosynthesis, which uses sunlight to drive chemical reactions, can convert plastic waste into valuable chemicals and fuels. The approach works under mild conditions and offers an energy-saving alternative to traditional plastic disposal methods like landfilling or incineration. While still in early stages, this technology could help address both plastic pollution and the need for sustainable carbon resources.

2023 SmartMat 58 citations
Article Tier 2

Molecularly Engineered Covalent Organic Frameworks for Hydrogen Peroxide Photosynthesis

Researchers developed a bipyridine-based covalent organic framework photocatalyst for producing hydrogen peroxide from water and air, achieving solar-to-chemical conversion efficiencies of 0.57% at 298 K and 1.08% at 333 K, surpassing previously reported values. The work addresses selectivity challenges in the two-electron water oxidation reaction that have limited photocatalytic H2O2 production.

2022 Angewandte Chemie 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Advancements in Synthesis Strategies and Optoelectronic Applications of Bio-Based Photosensitive Polyimides

This review covers recent advances in the synthesis and optoelectronic applications of bio-based photosensitive polyimides, highlighting their potential as sustainable high-performance materials for electronics, optical devices, and photolithography applications.

2024 International Journal of Optics 6 citations
Article Tier 2

A Mind Map to Address the Next Generation of Artificial Photosynthesis Experiments

Despite its title referencing artificial photosynthesis, this paper is a perspective article reviewing progress, problems, and grand challenges in developing light-driven chemical reactions that mimic photosynthesis for clean energy applications — not microplastic pollution. It discusses catalysts, efficiency barriers, and research misconceptions in the solar fuels field, and is not relevant to microplastics or human health.

2025 Small 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Performance of a Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Membrane Reactor for Municipal Wastewater Treatment

Researchers evaluated a solar-driven photocatalytic membrane reactor for treating municipal wastewater, finding it offers an efficient and sustainable alternative to conventional treatment methods amid rising global demand.

2024 Processes 8 citations
Article Tier 2

State-of-the-Art Achievements and Challenges in Photochemical Conversion of Plastics to Chemicals and Composites

This review covers photochemical methods for converting plastic waste into value-added chemicals and composite materials, examining both the chemistry of photooxidation and recent advances in converting plastic streams into useful products rather than disposing of them.

2025 Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Photocatalytic systems: reactions, mechanism, and applications

This review covers photocatalysis, a process where light energy drives chemical reactions using special materials called photocatalysts. These systems have important applications in medicine, environmental cleanup, and water purification, and recent advances have expanded their use in breaking down pollutants including plastic contaminants.

2024 RSC Advances 278 citations
Article Tier 2

Boosting Cyanobacteria Growth by Fivefold with Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminogens: Toward the Development of a Biofactory

Adding aggregation-induced emission luminogens to cyanobacteria cultures converted UV and blue light into green and yellow wavelengths more suitable for photosynthesis, boosting cyanobacterial growth by fivefold and demonstrating a light quality engineering approach for improving photobioreactor productivity.

2021 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Visible-light photocatalysts: Prospects and challenges

This research update reviews the state of visible-light photocatalysis, discussing material types including metal oxides, organic semiconductors, and composites, their applications for environmental remediation and solar fuel generation, and the major challenge of scaling up photocatalytic processes to industrial viability. The authors identify cost-competitiveness with existing technologies as the primary barrier to practical deployment.

2020 APL Materials 273 citations
Article Tier 2

Systemically Understanding Aqueous Photocatalytic Upgrading of Microplastic to Fuels

This review examines photocatalytic methods for converting microplastic waste into renewable fuels using solar energy. These approaches could transform plastic pollutants into useful energy sources rather than allowing them to accumulate in the environment and food chain.

2023 Solar RRL
Article Tier 2

Performance of a Solar Driven Photocatalytic Membrane Reactor for Municipal Wastewater Treatment

Researchers evaluated the performance of a solar-driven photocatalytic membrane reactor for treating municipal wastewater, combining photocatalysis and membrane filtration powered by sunlight. The system demonstrated effective pollutant removal while reducing reliance on external energy sources for water treatment.

2024 Preprints.org 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Orchestrating Ti─S and Ni─S Bonding Interfaces for Accelerated Charge Transfer in a S‐Scheme Photocatalyst

Researchers engineered a TiO₂/CdS/Ni photocatalyst with orchestrated interfacial charge transfer pathways for enhanced photocatalytic performance. The catalyst design accelerated electron transfer and reduced recombination losses, achieving high efficiency in photocatalytic reactions relevant to environmental pollutant degradation including microplastics.

2025 Advanced Functional Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Design and synthesis of novel polyoxometalate-based binary and ternary nanohybrids for energy conversion and storage

This review summarizes the latest progress in polyoxometalate-based binary and ternary nanohybrids for energy conversion and storage applications. The study covers combinations of polyoxometalates with metals, semiconductors, and nanostructured carbon materials, focusing on their photoelectrochemical catalytic properties.

2023 Polyoxometalates 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Design Principles for Maximizing Hole Utilization of Semiconductor Quantum Wires toward Efficient Photocatalysis

This paper presented design principles for maximizing hole (positive charge carrier) utilization in semiconductor quantum wire photocatalysts, addressing the rate-limiting step in solar-driven hydrogen production from water splitting.

2023 Angewandte Chemie International Edition 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficiency of Hybrid Materials for Photocatalytic Degradation of Micro‐ and Nano‐Plastics

Researchers reviewed how hybrid materials — combinations of multiple substances engineered at the nanoscale — can serve as highly effective photocatalysts to break down microplastics and nanoplastics using light energy. These multi-functional materials improve electron separation and reaction efficiency compared to single-component catalysts, representing a promising technological pathway for removing persistent plastic particles from the environment.

2025
Article Tier 2

Comprehensive Insights into Photoreforming of Waste Plastics for Hydrogen Production

This review examines photocatalytic "photoreforming" — a solar-powered process that breaks down waste plastics while simultaneously generating hydrogen fuel and useful chemical byproducts. Recent advances in catalyst design, including semiconductor materials and metal-organic frameworks, are analyzed alongside factors like light intensity and pH that affect hydrogen output. This dual-purpose approach could help address both the global plastic waste crisis and the need for clean energy simultaneously.

2025 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Engineering microalgae as a whole cell catalyst for PET degradation

Researchers engineered the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum to express PETase, a plastic-degrading enzyme, creating a solar-powered whole-cell biocatalyst capable of breaking down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) under saltwater conditions without external energy inputs.

2021 Methods in enzymology on CD-ROM/Methods in enzymology 5 citations